Mastery of Affection
by Spunky0ne
Summary: Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai are about as opposite as two men can be...but when a damaged experimental device sends them into the middle of nowhere, deep in Hueco Mundo, it is a race to see if the hollows kill them before they kill each other...mpreg
1. Opposites Repulse

**Mastery of Affection**

**By Spunky0ne**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: Opposites Repulse**

Renji knew that something was very, very wrong when he was brought awake suddenly by a splash of ice cold water across his face. It wasn't enough, he thought, that it was already chilly in the apartment with the heater barely working and the blankets on the bed being thin. Add to that, the fact that he was accustomed to sleeping sans restrictive clothing…and the blast of cold water was the last straw. He sat up, glaring at the darkly dressed intruder, his hand finding Zabimaru before he quite realized who it was that he was looking at. Then anger and a goodly amount of anxiety ensued.

"C-captain…Kuchiki?" he stammered, his teeth rattling, "Wh-what are you d-doing in my apartment? And before it's even work hours? And throwing icy water at me?"

His superior officer gave him a disapproving frown.

"Obviously, you have forgotten that we were given a mission…and ordered to leave at dawn!"

"Captain…it isn't even dawn yet!" Renji objected, "And, hell, the least you could do is give a guy a little warning!"

"Shut up, Abarai, and get dressed immediately!"

"Y-yeah, sure…just…well…"

"What is wrong with you? Has your incessant laziness finally left you permanently attached to that bed?" Byakuya asked with calm sarcasm.

"N-no, Captain, but…well…would you mind waiting outside?" Renji asked.

"Why would I do that?" Byakuya asked dryly, "Is there something wrong with my being here?"

He looked around Renji's apartment, studying the clothing scattered about, the remains of past meals on the table and the lackluster décor.

"Ah, no," said Renji, flushing slightly, "It's just…"

It was then that Byakuya finally noticed the lack of a yukata.

"I see," he said, turning and flash stepping back out the window.

Renji flushed an even brighter pink and fled from the bed to the bathroom, grabbing the cleanest looking shihakushou he could find on the way. He slipped into the clothes, hastily tied up his thick, red hair, shaved and brushed his teeth. He made record time with everything and followed the path Byakuya had taken out the window, growling to himself at the injustice.

_I wasn't even late! The least that he could do would be to wait until I actually do something wrong before he attacks me in my own home! But then, that's Captain Kuchiki for you._

"It's still not dawn, Captain," he muttered to an oblivious Byakuya.

"Come, Renji," the noble said, flash stepping away.

_He's in a crappy mood today. I can always fucking tell because he does shit like this to torment me. He knows I have a short fuse and pushes me until I yell at him, then makes me spar with him or do shit work. Why can't he be like a normal person and just tell me he's in a shitty mood and to keep my distance. He doesn't freaking let me keep my distance! He only drags me closer so that he can annoy the hell out of me and then he gets pissed at me for having an attitude…_

"You're slow," Byakuya commented as they swept forward across an open meadow, "It must be poor nutrition, or the hours you keep."

_Why the heck is he on my case about what I do in my free time? How does the guy even know? Does he have me watched?_

Renji flash stepped faster, trying not to fall behind. He didn't want to give his noble counterpart carte blanche to criticize him further. Not that he wouldn't be able to find something else to harp on…

"I was in bed by midnight," Renji answered in what he hoped was an even voice, "There was time enough for proper sleep if I hadn't been splashed with water at an ungodly hour!"

Byakuya let out a huffing breath and flash stepped faster.

_What the hell is up with that? I thought we were getting along for a while. After he saved Rukia, I sat in the healing center every damned day talking to him, making him tea and doing whatever he needed done. I didn't mind. I just don't understand why he always seems to be pushing me so damned hard. Up every day and early to work, training twice as hard as required. The guy is a total pain in the ass…not that he doesn't have his good points. I don't mind the sparring so much. He doesn't go easy and ever since my time in Squad Eleven, neither do I. And he does talk to me a little more casually sometimes, when he isn't pissed at me for one thing or another. Sometimes I feel like he has something in mind for me…and I keep disappointing him…and that's why he gets so out of sorts…I don't know. Maybe I just get on his nerves…because I can afford to sleep in sometimes…and I have a pretty active social life and something to look forward to after work. I guess for him, there is no before and after hours, no letting down. He's always a captain and a Kuchiki. It doesn't completely excuse the way he torments me, but I can sort of understand…_

Renji looked up and realized his captain had disappeared from the path ahead of him.

"Damn!" he muttered irritably and flash stepped faster.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya waited impatiently at the senkaimon for Renji to catch up with him. Waiting wouldn't have been a problem, but waiting for someone who could be faster and wasn't giving his level best was annoying to the noble. He realized that whatever shortcomings Renji had would fade with time, greater experience and the giving of greater responsibility. And in exchange for his personal sacrifices, he could well inhabit one of the unclaimed haoris in the 13 Court Guard Squads. The head captain had made the announcement to the current captains to prepare the best candidates in their squads…and Renji was the best in the squad…the only one having fully achieved ban kai…and one who had even gone so far as to train the hapless Rikichi to the point where Byakuya had to grudgingly offer the boy the seventh seat. He could have qualified for fifth seat, but then he would have had Renji reminding him that he had once said that Chappy the Bunny would get a 'top five' position before Rikichi did. Although Renji was truly gifted in some ways, he was egregiously undisciplined and lacking in others.

Byakuya sighed and frowned more deeply. He thought back to his own training and tried to imagine Ginrei taming the scattered, stubborn, undisciplined and sloppy redhead…and he hardly held onto his angst. He almost smiled, something rare, indeed, for someone who was always inundated with such responsibility. He forced himself to remember why he had decided to personally shove Renji into advancing…

Renji was powerful…loyal…protective and personable…all good, strong characteristics. He just needed the kinks worked out and the rough areas smoothed, and if it killed him, Byakuya was going to see that it happened.

Renji didn't know it yet, but he deserved that success, that position of power and pride. And for the first time in his life, Byakuya was fully invested in someone else's success.

_What have I gotten myself into? Months have gone by and all of those rough edges are just as rough…and all of the kinks are still there. I know he is capable of this…but nothing I know of to do seems to work. All I've really succeeded in doing is to make him furious at me…And the fury goes both ways…What do I do?_

He sighed as Renji flash stepped into view, panting.

"S-sorry Captain," he huffed.

"Hmmm…" Byakuya said, turning and stepping into the senkaimon.

They moved swiftly through the precipice world, Renji's speed in that area proving once again to Byakuya that Renji was capable, but held himself back sometimes out of stubbornness and laziness. He shook his head, thinking what his noble clan would have done to a boy like Renji…and he knew that a free spirit like the redhead's would likely have been crushed. He didn't understand what it was like to have his every move scrutinized, to be in a position of power and honor long before he could be ready and to be expected to act the part, even if he wasn't truly there maturity-wise. Responsibility had been the defining feature of Byakuya's life for as long as he could remember, so every time Renji rebelled, every time he fumed not quite silently under Byakuya's strict direction, every time he watched solemnly as leisure time was sacrificed to responsibility, Byakuya remembered how it felt to him and he sympathized. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done, because it was all part of the process. And the day Renji Abarai became a captain and Byakuya personally set the haori on his shoulders, the redhead would understand all of this…and he might not look at Byakuya with so much anger…

"So…Captain, what's the rush to get there? I mean, I know we're going in to take out Aizen's listening post near the shinigami base, but that doesn't seem to be a thing of such urgency…"

"So because there is not a defined need, you would simply let time be eaten away frivolously? The sooner that listening post is destroyed, the sooner our forces can make a significant strike on Las Noches without Aizen knowing it's coming. His early warning system has been a thorn in our side since he went to Las Noches. And forces are poised to begin a wave of attacks as soon as the listening post goes down. We are opening the way for the others who came after us. That is why we move with all due haste. The sooner Aizen is stopped, the better."

"Yeah, you have a point there."

"Hey! Moocher!" yelled Jinta as the two shinigamis flash stepped into Urahara's shop, "Are you back to empty our cupboards again? Oh, and you brought a friend to help clean us out in half the time, I see!"

"What an obnoxious child," mused Byakuya.

"Aw, he's harmless…"

"He insulted us both in a single breath," the noble noted.

"Yeah…that's Jinta…" Renji muttered, brushing past and ignoring the kid's continued taunts.

Byakuya turned on the boy, raising his reiatsu and letting a dark aura coalesce around him. Jinta stepped back in surprise.

"Cease verbally abusing us and take us to Urahara at once," he said in a low voice.

"Sheesh…fine. You don't have to crush me or nothing!" the boy complained, pointing them in the shopkeeper's direction.

"Hey, you probably didn't have to go that far…" Renji began.

Byakuya flicked his eyes to meet Renji's disapprovingly.

"He should not address officers of the 13 Court Guard Squads in such a manner. It amazes me that a vice captain would allow this…"

"He's a kid!" Renji argued.

"He is a young ruffian, who needs to learn his place."

"Well, you don't have to get nasty with him. He was just kidding around."

"Was he? I think he was disrespecting an officer."

"Yeah, well, he's a kid, not a squad member!"

"Uh…you two want me to leave so you can finish your spat, or are you going to use the garganta today?" Urahara asked.

"Oh, hi Kisuke," said Renji, smiling at the shopkeeper.

Byakuya gazed at Urahara quietly and said nothing.

"The garganta is ready," the shopkeeper said, "and I'm going to send you with a device I'm testing for the head captain. It is designed to provide an emergency, instant transport spell for those times when we find ourselves surrounded by the enemy and having no way out."

"I would not know the first thing about such a situation," Byakuya said, blinking slowly, "but as the head captain deems it of value, then Renji will carry the device. That way, when it explodes, it will be more limited in the scope of its destruction."

"Hey!" Renji snapped.

"Oh, don't you two start again," sighed Urahara, "Here…"

He handed the device to Renji, who looked it over suspiciously, then stuffed it into his shihakushou.

"I've put in the coordinates the head captain relayed over and Yoruichi went in on reconnaissance and mapped the area on this."

He handed Renji the map and the redhead stuffed it into an interior pocket.

"You'll come down in a small depression over which we've positioned a reiatsu negating field. They won't sense your reiatsu…but even if they see you, within the shielded area, all combatants will be limited to physical attacks, no power. And once you summon the opening of the return garganta, the shield will repulse and expel all of the enemy, so that they won't just follow you. That makes sure that if the shit hits the fan, you won't be overrun."

Byakuya nodded.

"All right, if there are no more questions, come this way."

The two officers followed the shopkeeper to the garganta. Byakuya paused just short of it, removing haori, kenseiken and ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu. He set them aside and motioned for Renji to remove his officer's badge.

"We must wear nothing that denotes rank," the noble explained, "In case we were to be captured, we would not want to give them any useful information."

He picked up two dark cloaks and handed one to Renji.

"For the sandstorms," he said, slipping one around his shoulders, "There are quite a lot of them in this area."

Renji nodded and set his cloak in place. He followed Byakuya to the garganta.

"Any last questions?" Urahara asked.

The two officers shook their heads.

"Then good luck," said Kisuke, opening the garganta, "Get yourselves back here in one piece, okay?"

"That is our intention, of course," said Byakuya.

Byakuya stepped forward with Renji at his side and the two entered the precipice world. Byakuya blazed a reiatsu trail and the two flash stepped along it, silent but for the hiss of air around them. They moved swiftly through the precipice world, hearing the groans and screeches of hollows rising up in the distance as they closed in on their destination. They reached the Hueco Mundo entrance and dropped down silently into the dark sand.

Renji felt the heavy, almost suffocating feel of the shield over them, but was pretty darned thankful for the cover, given the fact they were two men alone in a dark, cold place where a whole lot of really nasty creatures were just waiting for a chance to kill them. And still, he wasn't sure who was more scary, those murderous hollows or his powerful and sometimes unpredictable captain. For as firmly planted on the side of 'good' as Byakuya might be, how his leanings manifested themselves sometimes confused Renji. Oddly enough, and unbeknownst to the redhead, Byakuya felt something of the same about him…that Renji was definitely a creature of good, but that sometimes even good intentions didn't stop a person from being some sort of a menace. The two mostly got along well enough, both often wondered why Byakuya had chosen him as vice captain.

Byakuya, for his part told himself it was all about ability and promise, and that despite needing a few hard turns and some smoothing of the edges, Renji was definitely worthy of the position or he wouldn't be there. He tightened the screws on his vice captain fairly often to push him to excel, but overall, he had no great complaints and felt he had made a wise, though not without its difficulties, decision.

Renji, for his part, had no idea why the leader of a noble house, a man as dangerous as he was beautiful and as annoying as he was intriguing would choose, of all people, someone so much the opposite of himself and then constantly be at him to be better than he was.

Others outside the union of these two had mixed viewpoints. Rukia was stymied as to why her amazing brother chose an adorable idiot like her best friend to protect his life on the battlefield. Most of the more experienced captains…and incidentally Head Captain Yamamoto, felt it was the hidden inner child inside Byakuya finding a way of acting out in a sort of passive-aggressive rebellion. Urahara thought it was a rather sly move on the Kuchiki heir's part, while Yoruichi just giggled and said it was fun to watch them 'play' together (even when their play drew blood). Ichigo Kurosaki thought Byakuya Kuchiki was more than a little bit nuts and Renji was in for trouble, so he kept himself ready to get the redhead out of it. But all were in agreement that being around the two together was never a dull thing…

"Renji, we'll need the map now," Byakuya said, looking around and making note of the odd silence that had fallen around them.

The redhead nodded and reached into his shihakushou. As he removed the map, the odd device Kisuke had given him, caught his finger and came tumbling out as well. It bobbled madly on his fingertips as the redhead tried to recover, then it seemed to fall in slow motion, crashed loudly into a pile of rocks and began to smoke and sputter fitfully.

Byakuya sighed meaningfully and lifted an impatient eyebrow as Renji recovered the device, dusted it off and growled a clipped apology. He looked it over carefully as he handed the map to Byakuya and the noble began to study it. It seemed to Renji that the device had been activated, but improperly so he fiddled with the buttons until the thing stopped smoking and went quiet. Byakuya finished looking at the map and motioned for Renji to follow. The two crept slowly out from under the cover of the shield and made their way into the unprotected area, moving with cautious deliberation.

As they left the cover of the shield, the device Kisuke had given them began to beep madly.

"Oh, for kami's sake…" muttered Byakuya in a rare case of losing his cool, "Renji, shut that thing up before it attracts every hollow in the three worlds!"

The redhead nodded and set about his task dutifully, not noticing right away that Byakuya then fell uncharacteristically silent. He stared as a well laid trap began to fall on them and the sky around them began to fill with hollows. Renji looked up at his captain's hiss of discontent and muttered a well timed swear word.

"I guess that thing wasn't malfunctioning about the close proximity of the enemy," Renji managed.

The look Byakuya gave him was nothing short of deadly.

"Should we use it to escape then?" Renji said, reaching to activate it.

Byakuya would have told him that was the last thing he wanted to do, given that the thing had just been dropped into a pile of rocks and damaged, and that it was as likely that the thing would blow up in their faces and assist the hollows in killing them as save their lives, but Renji touched the button before he could get the words out.

There was a moment of complete silence between them…

A look of pure hatred from elder/wiser captain to bumbling subordinate…

Then there was a horrid, blinding flash, a feeling of being sucked away and, to Byakuya's surprise, the hollow reiatsu faded away. But when the smoke cleared, the captain of the sixth division found a whole new reason to despise his vice captain.

They stood on a lonely plain…still in the desert…not anywhere near safety…now lost and so far from an outpost that Byakuya couldn't sense the direction of the nearest. The map was now no good and as the two stood staring at Kisuke's rescue device, it sputtered one last time, groaned and died with a loud popping sound.

Smoky gray eyes met wary red-brown and in a rare moment of sychronicity the two muttered the same thing at the same time.

"_Damn!"_


	2. Assessing Damage

**Chapter 2: Assessing Damage**

"Uh…Captain," Renji said tentatively, "I don't suppose you have any idea where we are?"

Byakuya gave him a withering glare.

"Ah…okay, sorry," he muttered, looking around, "So…what are your orders, sir?"

It took every bit of patience the noble could muster not to turn and knock the daylights out of his subordinate. Instead, he ran his eyes over the darkened landscape and reached out in all directions, figuring that if he could sense Las Noches, he could angle towards it, use it to orient them, then turn off in the direction of home. He couldn't sense the fortress itself, but he managed to locate a center of hollow activity…and that meant the chance of an outpost. From there, they might find a trail or be able to sense more. He turned back to Renji.

"What do you sense?" he asked.

Renji blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me, Abarai. I asked you what you sense."

"Yeah, I heard…sir…but…"

"But what?" Byakuya said calmly.

"But…you and I both know that I suck at reiatsu sensing," Renji objected.

"And…?"

And we're not exactly in a great place for a training activity…"

Byakuya crossed his arms.

"Humor me, Abarai," he said, frowning, "Tell me which way we should go."

Renji gave him a look that bordered on rebellious, but looked left, then right…and pointed.

"That way."

Byakuya was, as always, surprised at his subordinate's ability to do the right thing without having any idea why. The only problem was…to pass the captain's exam required more than stellar intuition (or luck). To pass the exam, Renji would have to be able to explain _how_ he chose the direction and "It just felt right" wasn't going to cut it.

"Why?" he asked solemnly.

"Huh?" Renji asked, scratching the back of his neck and looking at the noble questioningly.

"Not quite the answer I was hoping for…" Byakuya commented dryly, "Try again, Abarai."

A soft red glow began to form around the redhead as his patience grew short and his stomach growled.

"I don't know, Captain," he said, irritation, "Why does it matter when we both know I suck at this and you don't?"

Byakuya sighed, closed his eyes and shook his head in annoyance.

"Perhaps something might be interfering with my perception or I might sustain injury and be unable to sense reiatsu properly."

"Then I'd say we would be pretty much screwed," said Renji, starting forward and leaving Byakuya standing and lightly pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

He flash stepped forward and as they walked, attempted to keep a mental clock running. He wasn't certain how he would keep track of time with no rising and setting sun and no change in the stars and moon over them. It seemed that Hueco Mundo was made to confuse them…and considering Aizen Sousuke's presence there, it made sense that the leader of the hollows would use something like that to his advantage. In addition, the desert was just endless dunes without too many large rises and valleys. The valleys didn't tend to be very noticeable ahead of time, but appeared suddenly…meaning that one had to watch himself or an errant flash step might lead him to his doom. He began to sense other things…a cluster of traps, set by crafty hollows to snare their brethren and any assorted creatures of poor fortune who (thanks to stupid inventions) found themselves wandering the depths of the desert unprepared. He angled around it and headed forward.

One moment, he was walking ahead, and the next, he was lying on his stomach in the sand, with Renji holding him down.

He knew better than to struggle, as such behavior was unheard of in the younger vice captain, unless the situation demanded it. And just as he suspected, a moment later, Renji released him and they crawled to the edge of a drop off he had been approaching…and they found a hollow outpost.

There were many of these places…these little way stations between Las Noches and other destinations. They were used to supply hollow armies and to house them as they moved from place to place. Had this one been down to a skeleton crew, they could have easily slipped inside, purloined much needed survival gear and food, and slipped out again unnoticed. As it was, they would still infiltrate, but much more cautiously…the reason being that they hadn't been planning on even an overnight excursion and except for the small bottle of water he always carried and the candy he always kept in his shihakushou for when Yachiru popped in unannounced and he needed to quiet her, they had no supplies. Granted, food was not a necessity, but they would operate with lesser power without food and would require more rest.

"How did you sense this when I did not?" Byakuya asked as Renji's eyes scanned the scene below them, "Did you arc your reiatsu and use touch points on the surface of the sand? See a reflection or odd shadow?"

"Uh, no, actually," Renji answered, blushing.

"Then…how did you know?"

"Ah…Captain, not to be rude or anything, but…"

"Did I misperceive something? Make a wrong turn?"

"Oh, erm, no…"

"Then, for kami's sake, what was it? Tell me!" the noble demanded.

"Ah…erm, Captain…I'm like three inches taller than you. I just…saw it first because of that…"

Byakuya turned his head aside, dropped it onto the sand and rolled his eyes.

_I am a failure at this…_

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, how do you want to go about getting in, Captain?" Renji asked softly, resting his chin on his arms and gazing down into the hidden base.

"How would you go about it?" Byakuya asked, and instantly, he felt his vice captain's annoyance at his steadfast refusal to answer a simple question.

"Huh…" muttered the redhead, thinking, "A small diversion that would seem to be a disturbance caused by a creature who lives in the region?"

"Do you have any idea what kinds of creatures live in this region that might cause a disturbance?"

His lips quirked at the sight of the redhead thinking hard, reaching an answer, but not liking it, thinking again and reconsidering. Byakuya blinked and gazed at him patiently.

"Abarai?"

Renji met his eyes, stared for a moment and sighed in frustration.

"Aww, hell, I don't know, Captain…"

"Yes, you do."

"What?" asked Renji, frowning.

"Your instinctive answer…the one you didn't want to tell me because you thought it was too stupid. What was it?"

"Hey! How did you know…?"

"What was it, Abarai?" Byakuya asked again.

"You want my instinctive answer? My stupid, just happened to pop into my head answer? That answer, Captain?"

"I asked for it, didn't I?" Byakuya said archly, "And I have already repeated it. So…before we weaken from hunger, Sousuke Aizen becomes king, or we all die of old age, please answer my question."

He thought that the pink flush that rose on Renji's cheeks was actually quite charming…

"Uh…okay…hollow swine."

"Hollow swine…" Byakuya repeated, "That was the first thing that popped into your head?"

Renji's flush deepened.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you think of hollow swine?" Byakuya asked, raising an eyebrow.

Renji sighed resignedly.

"Because they're everywhere around the shinigami base…and it reminded me of the packs of wild swine in the Rukon…they make good bacon…"

"Abarai?"

"Ah, sorry. Anyway, those things are everywhere. They are a complete nuisance that everyone knows about and anyone can tell you how fucking loud they are and what a mess they make."

Byakuya had to work to suppress a smile.

"And do you think you are capable of emulating a pack of these hollow swine?" he asked, thinking briefly of his visit to Renji's apartment before their mission.

"Uh…sure, Captain. In the Rukon, we would do that to distract the merchants so that we could steal food."

"Well then," Byakuya said, looking down into the encampment, "You will do your best imitation of hollow swine and I will infiltrate the camp and gather some stores."

"Wait…why do I have to make the distraction?" Renji complained.

"Because I have never imitated a swine before," Byakuya said, "And with any luck, I will never have to…"

"Nice, Captain," Renji said, rolling his eyes.

He moved off to the side and scanned the area quickly. He spotted a set of rock clusters not far from where they had concealed themselves. He carefully watched the motions of the hollow guards, and as they turned, he flash stepped across the open space and appeared in the cluster of rocks at the top of the hill. Byakuya watched closely as he began to work his way down. He had made it well inside the base when the rock shifted beneath his feet and sent a shower of rocks tumbling down the incline. Immediately the guards turned towards the sound and Byakuya flash stepped past them. They started towards Renji's place of concealment. Byakuya held his breath, preparing himself to bail his vice captain out, but waiting to see what he would do. His heart pounded as the guards moved closer to Renji. All at once, there was a soft rumble, an explosive cloud of sand and a set of pealing squeals that made the noble captain cover his ears in surprise.

"Idiot!" he hissed, "They will never…!"

But as he watched, the guards stopped and groaned.

"Damned swine," one of them muttered, "into everything and no matter how many we eat, more come to bother us. What a fucking nuisance!"

Byakuya barely managed to contain his surprise enough to take cover before the guards returned to their positions. He shook his head and continued into the camp, taking cover in the shadows and keeping his hood in place when he had to cross an opening.

He remembered from his initial survey of the camp that there was a place where hollows seemed to come and go constantly…and from that and the disturbing smell, he took it to be the commissary. He worked his way to it and slipped into what he took to be a stockroom. The air was freezing inside and he pulled his cloak more tightly around him. An even harder chill went through him as he read the labels on the shelves. There was a shelf marked 'Human Remains (for Stewing),' another marked 'Shinigami (Prime)' and one more marked 'Hollow Source (Mixed).'

"There is no way in the three worlds…" he murmured.

_I wouldn't even dare take something that seemed acceptable because I would forever wonder…What if they made a labeling error?_

He stood, staring in disgust for a moment, then silently incinerated the entire contents of the meat locker, and breathed a prayer for the victims as he moved on to a second storeroom.

This room was still chilly, but not nearly as cold as the last, and to his delight, he was able to gather a store of fruits, vegetables and even a few spices. He located two canteens and filled them from a large water dispenser he found. He noticed a few stray Arrancar uniforms stored in a corner and took two of them. Then he left the storeroom and started back in the direction he had come.

As he moved through the shadows, a group of guards turned into the corridor he occupied and headed towards his place of concealment. He slipped further into the space between two buildings as they passed, then started back out into the corridor. He froze as two male voices rose up somewhere behind him.

"I have to say this was a good idea, Sousuke. That illusion you left was one of the best I've seen. They have no idea that it's not us attacking the shinigami base," said a voice he recognized at once as Gin's.

"Snake…" he whispered, moving closer.

"Yes…" Aizen's voice answered, "and when we attack the dimension wall, they will have no idea what's happening either. They haven't a clue that I found something that would penetrate the wall and allow us to destroy it. And by the time they realize I have lost interest in making the king's key, we will be through and to the spirit king's palace."

Byakuya caught his breath softly.

_That had better be wishful thinking on their part…but in case it's not…_

He moved closer.

"So what was all of that ruckus near the listening post?" Aizen asked.

"I'm not sure exactly," answered Gin, sounding amused, There were reports that two shinigamis…unknown at this point…broke into the area near the outpost and then quite clumsily tripped our security by making too much noise."

Byakuya rolled his eyes.

_Thank you so much, Urahara…_

"And then…just when it was sure that our forces had them trapped, they sacrificed their lives in making a huge explosion that completely destroyed the base and everything for a mile around it!"

_And I had Abarai carry it…so it was bound to explode…but of course, even in exploding by accident, it did the right thing. How very…'Abarai'…but now everyone will think we are dead. Perfect..._

"It will take months for us to repair the outpost. But then…it no longer matters since we will be attacking the palace in a matter of days."

"Yes, Gin," Aizen sighed, "but send back orders to have the crews begin rebuilding. We want to keep the head captain guessing about our intentions. The longer we keep them believing we are in Las Noches and planning to make the king's key…"

"A thousand pardons, sirs," said an unfamiliar voice.

"Speak," said Aizen.

"The disturbance outside was a lone shinigami…"

_Renji!_

"Our guards spotted him on the edges of the camp and killed him."

"Bring him to me," said Aizen, "I want to know who it is."

"My apologies, sir, but the patrol that killed him used an explosive blast. There are no remains, I'm afraid."

_Renji…_

Byakuya closed his eyes against the words and edged forward, straining to hear as the voices grew softer.

"He was dressed in ragged clothes…probably just a stray who got lost on one of their recon missions. We swept the surrounding area thoroughly. There were no signs of any other shinigamis. He could even have been one of theirs that was possessed by the spirit wolves. Those are common in this area."

"Well, maintain vigilance…and send messages to the leaders of the teams watching the head captain's movements. I'll want to know if he shows any sign of suspecting."

The voices faded away, leaving Byakuya chilled and alone in the narrow space between the buildings. He concealed himself in an alcove and carefully opened a reiatsu cage. Slipping inside, he rested against the back of the concealing cage and forced himself to eat and drink.

_I don't dare try to leave now. Even if I did manage to escape the outpost, I would be alone, lost deep within enemy territory. I can use the Arrancar uniform to conceal myself…and the darkness here will help me remain hidden when the troops are moving. After they leave the outpost is the best time to try to find and destroy the device they are going to use to penetrate the dimension wall. I have to destroy it…everything depends on that…_

He tried to rest, but couldn't fall asleep. Strangely, his ears were still filled with Renji's voice…his objection to having ice-cold water thrown on him to wake him up…his imitation of the hollow swine…his frequent apologies…everything. He wondered why it hurt so badly inside to think of those things. It hurt even more when he considered having to tell Rukia that Renji was gone.

_I must be feeling this so deeply because of his connection to Rukia. That has to be it. What else could it be?_

_It hardly matters now…_

_Renji Abarai is gone…_

_Why do I feel like this is my fault?_

"Renji…" he whispered, closing his eyes and letting his head rest in his arms on top of his bent knees.

But even once he did drift off, the ghost of his vice captain continued to haunt his dreams.


	3. In the Enemy's Arms

**Chapter 3: In the Enemy's Arms**

Byakuya tossed and turned fitully, his troubled mind refusing to relax into deep sleep. Renji's voice still echoed in his head and he suffered from a deep ache somewhere inside that nagged at him until he gave up trying to sleep and slipped out of the reiatsu cage and into the darkness. He made his way through the quiet camp to the edges, where he located a smelly dumpsite. He buried his face in the crook of an arm as he located a few remains of dead hollows and deprived them of some hair and bone. He took them back to the reiatsu cage and spent part of the night fashioning a scraggly wig and attaching it to a bony mask that he cleaned and shaped to fit his face. Held in place with kido, the hair and mask hid his features well. He stared into a mirror and slowly altered his reiatsu signature to make it feel like that of a hollow. He focused deeply and made his eyes glow a wicked looking red. Finally he dressed in one of the purloined Arrancar uniforms. By the time he finished, it was early morning and the hollows within the camp were beginning to stir.

He waited within the reiatsu cage as the army housed in the large central square broke camp and prepared to move out into the desert. Thankfully, they moved in calm, haphazard clusters through the darkness, talking and laughing, and appearing to be at ease, which made sense considering their placement deep within their own territory. There were plenty of loners who skulked along on their own, so he did not look out of place. A few glanced at him as they moved past him, but most simply ignored him.

"How long will it take to reach the dimension wall?" one hollow asked another.

"Five or six days," another answered, "It would go faster, but moving the weapon and such a large group without being detected is a slow thing."

"But the shinigamis can't sense us when we're on the move because of Lord Aizen's zanpakutou, ne? So it isn't like we have to worry too much."

"We are most vulnerable to detection at the outposts. Usually, there's enough shielding and we're out of the way enough so that we're beneath their radar, but we still have to be careful. We don't want Gotei 13 troops awaiting us when we cross over. Remember, we have to cross into the Seireitei to get to the dimension wall. And as soon as we cross, they will sense us."

I have to find out where the crossover point is…so if I can't destroy the device they intend to use, I can at least warn someone. That is, once I have my bearings and can find my way back!

"Hey Sweetheart," said a somewhat sarcastic voice from behind him, "Turn around. I want to get a look at you."

Byakuya ignored the remark and kept walking.

"Hey, bitch! I'm talking to you! Don't ignore me!"

He felt the approach of the other, and as a bony hand came down on his shoulder, he took hold of it and threw the offending Arrancar to the ground. He landed with an "Oomph!" and stared up at Byakuya in surprise as he turned and continued walking.

A chill went through the noble as he sensed others gathering and forming a semicircle around him. The ends thinned over time, and as the entourage stopped for a break, the circle of hollows closed around him. Byakuya stopped in the center of the circle, his senses carefully extended.

"Those were some nice moves," said a tall, thin and heavily scarred Arrancar with yellow eyes and fetid breath, "Why don't you show me a few of your _special_ moves, Princess."

"In case it eluded you," Byakuya said in a low, grating voice, "I am a man. And not only that, I do not lack the capacity to reduce you to a bony, bloody pulp. Now, get out of my way or I will destroy you!"

"She even speaks like a princess, ne?" said the hollow, blocking the noble's path.

Byakuya stopped in front of the creature, fastening his glowing red eyes on the hollow's. As it started to speak again, the noble struck with blinding speed, striking abdomen, face and groin, and leaving the hollow in a groaning heap on the ground. He gave the stunned creature a final look of triumph.

"Did you enjoy my special moves?" he asked, walking blithely by.

The next three attacked as one, and might have had him…in fact, thought they had him as they gazed at the one they held tightly in their bony claws. But a moment later, the image shattered and the copy of him disappeared. A moment later, he flash stepped in and struck each in turn, leaving all three on the ground, looking in all directions for him as he disappeared behind a sand dune.

_I cannot afford to keep fighting every group of hollows that comes along…_

He strayed out along the far edges of the regiment, using sand dunes and rocks to create distance. Several times, he thought he might have sensed pursuit, but when he turned, there was no one there.

"Hey there," said a gruff male voice, "Don't wander off around here, youngster. This is spirit wolf territory. You don't want to run afoul of them demon dogs."

"N-no," said Byakuya, moving cautiously closer to the large, muscular Arrancar who sat, resting on a nearby rock and chewing on a large piece of bread.

This one appeared to practice better hygiene than the others he had met, and he smiled at Byakuya and offered him an end of fresh baked bread with butter slathered on it. Sensing the friendliness in the gesture, Byakuya accepted the bread, earning an approving nod from the hollow.

"Name's Ryota," he said, biting into his bread and chewing slowly as he watched Byakuya do the same, "I saw the riffraff molesting you earlier, and I had to wonder. None of those little weaklings had as much power as you have in your left pinky. No use denying it. I can sense your power. So…why not use it?"

"My powers belong to Lord Aizen," Byakuya said, unable to think of a more proper response, "He has not commanded that I should waste them swatting away small bugs."

Ryota smiled and nodded.

"Well, they may be small, but those bugs can bite. And when they get together, they can be pretty nasty…even dangerous."

"So what are you suggesting?" asked the noble, "That I should make a show of power…scare them off?"

Ryota shook his head.

"No need to waste your powers. I was going to suggest that you stay close to me."

"Why?"

"Because you don't want to be annoyed by them…and…because you interest me."

"I…interest you?" Byakuya said uncertainly.

The hollow shrugged.

"Call it a whim, if you want. No one's making you stay."

Inexplicably, Byakuya found himself liking the big hollow. Odd as it was to find himself enjoying the company of an enemy. Then it occurred to him that Ryota's open, easy manner reminded him of Renji. And he sensed that, like his vice captain, this creature possessed excellent fighting skills. He swallowed hard as an unusually strong emotion passed over him at thinking of Renji again. Ryota gazed at him and frowned thoughtfully.

"Something wrong?"

"N-no," Byakuya said, shaking his head, "I was just considering…and I will travel with you for a while, if you have no objection."

The hollow smiled and nodded.

"There's soup to go with that bread."

"Oh?" Byakuya said, his mind flashing back to the meat locker at the hollow base, "Um…"

"An old family recipe from when I existed in the living world. I come from a family of farmers and this vegetable soup recipe came down through the generations, then sadly, ended with me when I died."

"I see," said the noble, accepting a bowl of the soup.

He tasted it and took a surprised breath.

"Good, eh?"

"Yes," Byakuya said, nodding, "I've never tasted the like. And you say this is a family recipe?"

"Yes," Ryota confirmed, "In addition to being farmers, my family excelled at cooking. Guess that's why we were always big people…"

Byakuya couldn't quite avoid a smile at the memory that popped into his head at that moment.

_He opened his eyes and immediately noticed that something in his environment had changed. Although he was still in the healing center, and he was still surrounded by the scents of antiseptic and bandages, the soft beeping of machines and quiet footsteps in the hallways, the warm, familiar presence of his vice captain had disappeared. He told himself that it shouldn't surprise him, but even given that he had told Renji numerous times that he didn't require any assistance and that he was welcome to leave, the redhead had been there every time he opened his eyes, and had continued to serve him tea and sit quietly by the door. His sudden absence now…_

"_I'm back," Renji said, smiling as he entered the room, "Did you miss me?"_

"_No."_

_He didn't even react to the dry, off-handed response as he approached the bed._

"_Sorry I'm late, but I thought you might enjoy some real food instead of that bland crap they give you here."_

"_The food here is sufficient," he said in a bored voice, "You needn't have bothered."_

"_It wasn't a bother, Captain. Here, try this."_

_He accepted the bowl of soup without comment and tasted it._

"_I made it myself."_

_Not only did it taste wonderful compared to healing center fare, it warmed him to his toes and nearly coaxed a contented sigh out of him._

"_Arigato."_

"_You like it, then?"_

_He met the hopeful red-brown eyes for a moment._

"_Yes."_

Byakuya wondered at the odd blend of warmth and, at the same time, guilt the memory stirred. Renji had always been like that…kind to everyone, even his remote, difficult captain.

"You get stuck inside your head a lot, ne?" said Ryota, tipping his soup bowl and swallowing deeply, "Something bothering you?"

Byakuya sighed.

"Regret."

Ryota nodded.

"We all have that, I think."

They were quiet for several minutes as they ate.

"You lose someone special?" Ryota asked suddenly.

Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment, his mind swiftly replaying everything from that first day he walked past Renji at the shinigami academy the day he asked Rukia to join the Kuchiki family to the moment of hearing of his death.

"Yes."

"Must've been pretty recent, ne?"

Byakuya nodded and continued to eat.

"Me too. Just not so recently. I had a daughter in the living world. Pretty girl, and sweet as could be, like her mom. She disappeared one day and it was while I was searching for her that I was killed by hollows, who lured me by claiming to know where she was. I died never knowing her fate. That's why I'm here."

Several silent moments passed.

"So, why are you here?" Ryota asked.

"Regret," Byakuya said, closing his eyes for a moment, "I took someone for granted and realized much too late, I should have done things differently."

"So did she kill you or did you kill yourself?"

Byakuya caught his breath in surprise and blinked. Ryota smiled.

"No," he went on, "One like you wouldn't kill himself. I'd wager that she left you and somehow ran afoul of some wicked fate, and you lived out the rest of your days, wishing you had done things differently, and died a natural death, but came here because of that regret."

"Something like that," Byakuya confirmed, blinking again, sleepily.

"Why don't you get some rest?" said Ryota, "I'll make sure no one bothers you."

"I can manage," Byakuya said, standing.

He started to turn away, but then stopped.

"I will return to travel further with you when the regiment moves on, if you wish."

Ryota smiled and nodded.

"I'd like that, stranger. But before you go, can I have your name?"

"Bya," the noble said, knowing better than to give his full name.

As a captain, he was well known to the hollows.

"Good night, Bya," said Ryota.

"Good night," Byakuya said, turning away.

He moved out to the very edge of the regiment and was raising his power to open a reiatsu cage, when he heard an odd noise behind him and turned to see a tall, glowing and exotically beautiful hollow standing in front of him. The eyes were bright golden with odd, white centers, and they froze him in place as the creature smiled and moved closer. He tried to move, but his body refused to respond, even as the lovely creature reached him and leaned forward, bringing it's pretty red mouth close and touching his face to tilt his head back. He shivered under the icy touch of the creature's hands, his mind screaming for his body to move. Soft lips teased the skin of his throat, sending a hard shiver down his spine, then heated breath warned him of what was about to happen.

Suddenly, blinding power struck the creature, throwing it back away from him. Oddly, although the creature disappeared and it's hold over him ceased, he felt horribly weak and sank to his knees. Strong arms wrapped around him and although his instinct was to fight them, a familiar, gruff voice set him at ease.

"Easy now, it's just me. I ain't going to hurt you none, but you need to come back to camp with me. This is a dangerous area, full of spirit wolves and hollow vamps, like that one. Pretty bitches, those, but they'll suck you dry of reiatsu. And that's without even touching you…but I guess you learned that the hard way, ne, Bya?"

He hated feeling so weak and allowing himself to be carried, but he sensed his legs wouldn't hold him up and rested quietly in the arms of the big hollow as he was carried back to Ryota's camp. When they reached it, the hollow set him down gently and began to open his clothing. Byakuya's eyes widened and he began to struggle.

"Easy, Bya, I'm not getting fresh, here. You were attacked by a hollow vamp. I had to make sure she didn't bite you anywhere."

"Sh-she didn't," Byakuya managed, "You arrived before she could."

He took a shivering breath.

"Arigato."

"No problem," said Ryota, leaning over him and sending healing power into his resting form, "Those hollow vamps are scary, even to the Espadas. They can be defeated, but their hypnosis is hard to resist. Most who pass through this area never see the other side of it. But if we are to reach the crossover point at Black Bone Ridge, we have to go this way."

He shook his head.

"We'll lose some every night to those pretty killers."

He sighed softly.

"Wish one would slide into Aizen's tent and suck the life out of him…" he commented.

"You…do not approve of Lord Aizen?" Byakuya asked carefully.

"Only a complete fool with a death wish would follow that man," said Ryota.

"But…you are with the regiment."

"Because of this," Ryota said, slipping his top down off one shoulder and exposing a red tattooed 'X.'

"What is that?" Byakuya asked softly.

Ryota's eyes narrowed.

"I see I read you right," the big hollow said, staring into his eyes, "Shinigami."

Byakuya's eyes widened and he started to rise, but was still too drained from the hollow vamp's attack. He inhaled sharply as the hollow leaned over him, and with their eyes still locked, Ryota calmly induced sleep.


	4. Vamped

**Chapter 4: Vamped**

When Byakuya began to surface again, he heard soft voices around him, and his body felt icy to the core. He should have been shivering, but somehow he managed the coldness without much reaction at all. What seemed to be affected most was his mind. He could hear voices all around, but he wasn't sure what was real. He couldn't tell if his eyes were really open and seeing or if he was dreaming. Everything he did register seemed dreamlike an hazy, and when he saw Renji appear before him, he knew that what he was seeing couldn't be real.

"His body is like ice," Renji said in an echoing, disembodied voice, "What the fuck is happening?"

"_That hollow vamp must have touched him with her saliva…just a tad or he'd already be one of them," said Ryota._

"_So what do we do? Kami, please tell me we can make him all right again!" exclaimed the redhead._

"_It's okay," the Arrancar assured Renji, "He won't turn into one. But it's going to be a rough night. You'll have to manage him. I've got to stand guard. Just do your best to keep him calm and warm."_

"_Calm and warm, got it," said Renji._

"_Oh…and he might…act kind of…erm…vampish. It's an effect of the saliva."_

"_So what do I do about that?"_

_Byakuya heard Ryota laugh softly, but couldn't hear his answer._

"_You kinda have to if you don't want to have him go berserk."_

"_No way…"_

"_Your choice, shinigami. Good luck with that. I'll be on guard out here if you need me. Call me in if he has a seizure, becomes violent or goes into cardiac arrest."_

"_Augh…great," muttered the redhead, "Sure."_

"_Renji," said Ryota, "It will be difficult tonight, but he'll be okay."_

"_Right…thanks," said Renji, sounding less than convinced._

_Byakuya heard the tent door swish closed and felt a warm presence settle down to sit next to him. He knew it was a dream, but having lost Renji, he wanted so much to look at the redhead again, to touch him, to tell him…_

"_R-renji?" he moaned deliriously, "Renji?"_

"_I'm here," said the redhead's soothing voice, "Ryota says you're gonna be fine, but you're pretty sick. Just try to rest, okay?"_

"_I will," Byakuya said, shivering, "B-but Renji, I…have to tell you."_

"_Shh, Captain. Try to sleep, okay. Don't get all worked up now."_

_He blinked to try to clear his vision and gazed dazedly up at Renji's concerned face. He managed to raise a shaking hand and touched the redhead's cheek to see if he felt real. He could have cried, finding that not only did he look real, he felt real too. And then, all he wanted to do was to bury himself in that realness. He dragged himself onto his knees, ignoring Renji's instant objections. He fell against the redhead's chest and found his senses filled with Renji's warm, masculine scent, and the touch of those rough hands._

"_R-ren…" he whispered, "You're so w-warm."_

_His teeth were chattering and his body shook uncontrollably. And even though the tent was dark, a soft glow began to rise around them._

"_Aw, hell," gasped the redhead, wrapping his arms around the noble, "G-glowing? What about…?"_

_He raised his voice, making Byakuya wince._

"_Ryota, what about glowing?"_

"_Oh, that's just a side effect," answered the hollow, "It's harmless. It'll wear off. But watch out it's…erm, well, you'll see."_

_And suddenly, Renji's red-brown eyes met his and widened beautifully._

"_C-captain?" Renji said, uncertainly, "Captain, your eyes are…?"_

_Byakuya tried to speak again, but when he opened his mouth, he only emitted a soft, sighing sound that made Renji groan uncomfortably and swallow hard._

"_Oh, don't look at me like that, Captain," the redhead said pleadingly, "I can't tell if maybe you're going to kill me or…"_

_Byakuya shifted in his arms and settled deeper into his vice captain's embrace. He stared dazedly into the red-brown eyes that seemed unable to look away._

"_Damn, Captain," Renji breathed, "You are really, really beautiful, and glowing, and you smell so good. I think you are killing me, you know?"_

_Byakuya took a breath and Renji fell silent, still staring into his eyes._

"_I…don't feel so cold anymore," Byakuya said dazedly._

"_G-good," Renji said in a shaky voice, "Glad to hear it."_

"_Renji?" Byakuya said, hanging onto the redhead's shoulders and leaning back slightly to look at the tattoos that he could see in the 'V' of Renji's top, "I want to…tell you something."_

"_Hmm?" Renji sighed helplessly, "What is it?"_

"_I liked the soup."_

"_Wh-what?"_

"_I actually loved…the soup."_

"_The…soup?" queried Renji, "Oh…the stuff Ryota made. Yeah, um, that was good."_

"_N-no, that was good, but, that's not…what I mean."_

"_What, Captain?" Renji said, narrowing his eyes "You're kinda not making sense here."_

"_At the…fourth division. The…soup."_

_Renji blinked and his eyes widened. A sweet smile rose on his lips as realization lit his face._

"_Oh, the soup I made! Thanks, Captain, but…you already told me you liked it."_

"_N-no, I didn't tell you. It made me warm…all the way through. And I was glad when you came back. I…did miss you."_

_Renji couldn't stop a soft chuckle and a shake of his head. He looked down into the noble's sweet, earnest expression and his eyes softened._

"_You are really out of it, ne? This is so…not you, Captain."_

"_N-no…no, Renji. This is…me. It's what I couldn't say before…when you were alive."_

_Renji's smile faded and his eyes softened even more with sympathy._

"_Captain, I'm not dead. I'm right here. I'm okay. I'm fine. Ryota helped me hide and I was looking for you. I didn't know where you were, but I figured you went on with the regiment."_

_He felt tears in his eyes at the sincerity in Byakuya's next words._

"_Kami, I wish this was real. I would tell you…so many things…so many things, Renji."_

"_Oh, you'd better stop, Captain. You're going to be embarrassed and pissed off if you keep on. Lie down. Try to sleep, okay?"_

"_I don't want to sleep," Byakuya said, resting a heedful of sinfully soft hair on the redhead's shoulder and making him catch his breath, "You might go away again."_

"_I won't go away. I promise."_

_Byakuya's eye fell to Renji's chest, where a pretty pattern of tattoos invited him to stare. His fingertips moved to trace them and Renji flinched and stared down at his hand._

"_What are you doing?" he asked softly, "Why are you doing that?"_

"_I want to…remember them. For when I wake up and you are gone. I want to remember…exactly what they looked like."_

"_Captain," Renji said, taking the noble's face in his hands, "I told you. I didn't die. I'm still alive. And when you wake up from this…this spell or whatever that hollow vamp did, you are going to slice my ass to pieces with your petal blades. Now, please, stop that and try to sleep."_

"_N-no…I have to see them. Please let me see them?"_

_Byakuya kept his head on Renji's shoulder and pushed the redhead's hands away, then peeled back the front of his top. His still icy fingers sent sweet shivers down Renji's spine as they followed the path of the black markings where they danced down Renji's chest. The redhead's heart skipped and pounded fitfully as a cold finger brushed against his skin and he felt a strong reaction in his groin._

"_Oh, oh hell, Captain. This is…it's too much, okay? You really have to stop," the redhead almost sobbed, "You're really getting to me!"_

"_Am I?" Byakuya asked, looking up at him through hazy eyes, "Am I…bothering you?"_

"_Ah…" breathed Renji, "N-not bothering, exactly."_

_He swallowed hard._

"_It's just that you're so good looking and you smell great…and even though your hands are so cold, it feels, oh gods, it feels incredible when you touch me like that."_

_He took the noble's pale face in his hands again._

"_And when you regain your senses, all you're going to think is that I took advantage of you. I can't do that, Captain. I can't take advantage of you while you're sick and out of it like this! Ask me again when you're coherent."_

_He shook his head solemnly._

"_Like that would ever happen…"_

"_You say you won't take advantage of me?" said Byakuya, tilting his head and meeting Renji's eyes again, "Then…maybe I will take advantage of…you!"_

_The next thing Renji Abarai knew, he was lying on his back and his top was fully opened. He tried to twist free, but Byakuya's body was somehow straddling his and then Renji noticed the kido ropes that had wrapped around his wrists, ankles and waist. He gasped softly as he realized that, not only was he tied down, but Byakuya was on top of him and smiling down at him._

"_You were worried about taking advantage of me?" said Byakuya, his words slurring slightly, "But now…you can't, so shut up."_

"_Captain, I…"_

_Byakuya's eyes took on a wounded look._

"_You…don't like me that way?" he asked softly, wearing an expression so vulnerable, it had the redhead backpedaling furiously._

"_N-no, Captain, you misunderstood me. I wasn't trying to stop you because I don't like you. I was trying to stop you, because you're only doing this because you got attacked by that hollow vamp. This isn't you."_

"_That's not true," the noble said, wide eyed, "Renji…it's just I was always afraid to say anything. I liked you, but I thought you wouldn't like me back. And it was my job to train you to be a captain, and if we started having sex it would contemp…comten…"_

"_C-complicate?" Renji supplied._

"_Yes, complicate things. I mean, once you weren't my subordinate…but the council would be in fits…and you, I thought you liked Rukia. And then, I thought you were having sex with Ichigo."_

_Renji smiled and shook his head._

"_Rukia and I are just friends, and Ichigo has been sleeping with Urahara almost since he got his shinigami powers."_

"_So…are you saying, you do like me?" asked Byakuya deliriously._

_Renji sighed longingly and smiled up at him weakly._

"_Yeah, I like you, Captain. You're fucking beautiful! How could I not like you?"_

"_I never tell you…things…like…like, I love tea the way you make it. I don't even drink it at home anymore, because it isn't yours. And…I, I actually I'm not mad so much at you, but I want you to pass the captain's test, so I get upset when you slack off, but I know you'll be a good captain."_

"_God, you're so cute, Captain," Renji sighed, "But you should really stop. I don't want you to do something you'll regret."_

_Byakuya's eyes suddenly lost the false red glow he had placed in them, and returned to their normal steel gray. Renji froze, held firmly in place by Byakuya's warm expression._

"_I regret not telling you everything before. I regret hurting your feelings because I was afraid to show mine. I regret wasting time until time ran out. And I can't have you now."_

_Byakuya paused and brushed away a sudden tear._

"_So…while we're here, I want to fix things. Maybe I can't do that in reality, but I can here. I am sorry, Renji. I am really, truly…sorry."_

"_I must be the one dreaming," Renji sighed, closing his eyes, "Byakuya fucking Kuchiki just apologized to me…"_

_He froze again as Byakuya's eyes softened and he lowered his upper body until he was leaning on his hands._

"_Uh, Captain…" Renji whispered, "What are you…?"_

_The noble's lips captured his and Byakuya's eyes drifted closed, his face looking so lovely and serene that Renji couldn't help but kiss him back. And feeling Renji kissing him back made Byakuya sink deeper into his mouth, probing with an unexpectedly gentle, questing tongue. His eyes opened and looked deeply into Renji's._

"_I want to have sex with you, Renji," he sighed, "Is that all right?"_

_Renji met the noble's dark, beautiful eyes with a tragically longing expression._

"_I want to," he whispered as Byakuya kissed his cheek, then brushed a line of kisses along his throat, "I want to so bad it hurts…but I think…"_

"_Stop," said Byakuya quietly, "Do not attempt to think. Answer me with your heart. Do you want to have sex with me, Renji?"_

_Renji's mouth opened and trembled as he tried to answer, then closed his mouth again. Byakuya waited, that same sweet, deeply serious look on his face. Renji sighed and blinked several times._

"_Yeah," he said, finally, "I want to have sex with you, Captain."_

_The noble's icy fingers touched his lips._

"_Byakuya," he said, blinking almost sleepily, "Call me Byakuya."_

"_I want to have sex with you, Byakuya," Renji breathed dizzily._

_The dark eyes held a sad, nostalgic shine as he moved the rest of the redhead's clothing out of the way and then slowly removed his own clothes. He smiled down at his still-bound vice captain and quietly released the kido ropes._

"_Now, no one is taking advantage," the noble said calmly, "We are both here because we want to be."_

_He climbed back on top of the redhead, and gazed down at where their bodies laid against each other._

"_Please don't kill me for this…" Renji whispered as Byakuya leaned forward onto his hands again and reclaimed his lips._

_Byakuya felt the coldness leave his body and intense heat flooded every inch of him. He sucked Renji's tongue into his mouth and stroked it lazily with his, making Renji groan and push his hips upward, and making the noble's body tremble softly with anticipation._

_Byakuya's mouth left his and followed a slow, deliberate trail down the tattooed length of his body, first pleasuring lightly with the pale, graceful fingers, then treating each black line with wet strokes of a hungry pink tongue. The redhead's cheeks and throat flushed pink as he stared disbelievingly down at his captain, as the noble honored every inch of flesh with touches, kisses and light strokes. He groaned again and arched his back, rubbing against Byakuya and wondering how he was going to last long enough for them to make love._

"_Mmmm…Byakuya," he moaned breathlessly, "You're making me so hard, Byakuya!"_

_The noble's pretty mouth kissed its way down to his navel, where that pink tongue sank down inside and teased him into a sweating, aching frenzy. He slid his fingers into the noble's silken hair and gently pushed him down lower, where the noble. graced him with a very gentle kiss. Renji groaned again and reached down to press against the base of his arousal, to stave off climax. But it seemed to have been a useless endeavor as Byakuya gazed hungrily down at him, then ever so slowly descended on him, bringing their bodies together._

"_Oh, gods," Renji gasped, "If you…ah…ah…you're going to make me…"_

"_C-captain," Renji moaned, "B-byakuya, you're fucking killing me! Gods…are you trying to make me insane?"_

_Byakuya smiled somewhat wickedly and laid his body on top of Renji's, assaulting his mouth more roughly. He moved his hips restlessly blushing furiously and beginning to glow again. The redhead tried one last time to stop what was happening._

"_Byakuya," he said softly, looking up into the dark, lovely eyes again, "You are…sure about this? Have you…you know, done it with a guy before?"_

_His breath left him in a stunned gasp as the noble forced himself down onto Renji's length, making a sound of pain. Renji grabbed his hips and held them still as Byakuya panted heavily against his shoulder._

"_Are you okay?" the redhead asked, "You shouldn't have done that. You should have let me prepare you before."_

_He lost his breath again as Byakuya began to move,, panting and writhing so beautifully, that Renji could not hold back anymore. He forgot restraint and barely managed to rein in his moans of pleasure. Byakuya lifted his body away and Renji bucked upward into the center of pleasure inside him. The lovely pale body shuddered sweetly, then Byakuya collapsed on top of him. Renji pushed upward one last time and, closing his eyes and nearly sobbing with delight, emptied himself into Byakuya's depths. They laid still, catching their breath and exchanging slow, sleepy kisses. _

_Renji watched as Byakuya drifted off to sleep in his arms, then pulled away gently and carefully cleaned their bodies. He found a fresh yukata for each of them, then dressed Byakuya, and then himself before moving over to sleep a short distance away._

_As much as he wanted to believe that Byakuya had really known what he was doing, there was enough doubt in him to make him cautious. He spent much of the rest of the night, replaying their lovemaking in his head._

_Some time later, Renji rose and slipped out of the tent. He relieved Ryota on watch and spent the last few hours of the rest period wondering what Byakuya would do when he woke up…_


	5. The Morning After

**Chapter 5: The Morning After**

"Oh…" Byakuya groaned, turning within the tangled blankets that were wrapped around him and instantly regretting having moved at all.

Pain shot through his eyes and into his head, throbbing with the pulsing of his blood. Sharp pains that seemed to emanate along his spine, rocketed outward, jolting just about every part of him that moved. His stomach gave a deep ache of warning that made him forget everything else and crawl towards the tent opening. He heard a soft exclamation behind him and large hands took hold of him. And despite the immense need to unload the contents of his stomach, he raised his power, preparing to attack. Then, he looked at the cero that was forming in his palm and froze.

"Kami…" he whispered, his face paling in shock.

"Would you stop that, please?" Ryota asked, holding him tightly as Byakuya's power faded and the noble stared in horror at the slender hand that had held the cero.

"Wh-what…did you do to me?" Byakuya said in a choked whisper, "Why am I able to make a cero? Have you made me into a hollow?"

Ryota opened his mouth to answer, but Byakuya was stricken with the sudden need to vomit and managed to scuttle out of the tent on hands and knees before the Arrancar could stop him. He stopped as he realized that someone was blocking his path and prayed it wasn't anything that couldn't wait to kill him until after he was done being sick. Before he could think anymore about it, his head throbbed painfully and his stomach convulsed, sending its contents out of him, and onto anything within several feet, including the lower extremities of the one who had stopped him. His head spun, distorting the words of Ryota and the other who had joined them. He felt strong arms wrap around him as he sank into blessed senselessness. He was dimly aware of his clothes being removed and then his body being washed clean. And they wouldn't, he decided, have bothered cleaning him up if they were planning to kill him. So if Ryota wasn't exactly friendly, he and this other person were at least not hostile towards him. He felt care in the hands that tended him…hands that reminded him oddly of Renji's. He was laid down again on a freshly prepared mat with clean bedding and a soft pillow. He groaned as his body was lifted slightly and something ghastly was brought to his lips.

"Drink it," Ryota's gruff voice said quietly, "It will keep you from hurting so much and help you sleep."

"But," said the muffled voice of the other, "don't we have to leave soon with the regiment?"

"Sandstorms," Ryota said, "We'll be here for a while until they pass. Let him rest. He looks half dead."

"He could still beat the shit out of both of us in his sleep, though…scary…scary as hell sometimes."

The voices drifted away and the tent went nearly silent, except for the howl of the sand that drove the sandstorm and brought Ryota and the other back inside. They knelt on the other side of the tent, talking softly as Byakuya fell asleep again and time passed.

The next time he woke, his head still ached, but not with its former ferocity. He had barely moved, so deep was his sleep, so the bedding was still neat and warmly wrapped around him. The sound of the sandstorm had faded and all seemed quiet. He judged it must be a sleep period as a soft snore sounded from the other side of the tent. Noting that he was not in any way restrained, Byakuya moved silently onto hands and knees and crawled towards the one sleeping in the tent with him. As he moved closer, he found that it was Ryota in the tent with him.

He had a sudden flashback to when he had tried to attack the Arrancar and looked at his hand questioningly. Shaking his head and tightening his lips, he decided that despite whatever had been done to him, he still had a job to do. He left Ryota sleeping and crawled to the tent door. He passed through the door and out into the darkness, then slowly stood and looked around.

A moment later, he spotted a tall Arrancar with tufts of red hair standing in the distance, looking at him with a somewhat surprised expression. And just as he was deciding whether or not to attack, the hollow lifted his mask and showed his face. Byakuya's knees went weak and he caught his breath in surprise as the other disappeared and reappeared in front of him.

"Captain," Renji said, smiling, "Good to see you on your…"

He paused as Byakuya struck him hard, sending him tumbling backwards to land awkwardly in the sand.

"What the hell? What are you doing?" exclaimed Renji as Byakuya flash stepped to him and pinned him, then glared down at him and raised his power, forming a cero ball as he had before.

"Explain this!" he demanded, "What did you and that other hollow do to me? Did you make me a hollow or a vizard? Tell me now or I will attack!"

"Whoa, don't kill me! I'll explain!" Renji said, raising open hands.

"I know my vice captain is dead, so did you consume him or did Renji become a hollow when he died?"

"Your vice captain isn't dead," said Ryota from behind him, "He might have been if I hadn't happened upon him while the guards were searching for him, but I hid him, and then agreed to help him look for you."

Byakuya let the cero in his palm fade and gazed down at Renji, who stopped looking scared and smiled back at him.

"And why weren't you able to find me yourself?" Byakuya asked sternly, "I was concealing myself from the hollows, but not from you, Abarai! You should have been able to find me easily."

Renji sighed heavily, a wounded look taking over his face.

"C'mon Captain, you know I suck at reiatsu sensing. I was trying to find you and…"

"Never mind that," Byakuya said, climbing off his subordinate and standing, "You need to explain to me why you are cooperating with this hollow and why you allowed me to be made to fire ceros."

"Come back inside," Ryota said, looking around, "It isn't safe for either of you to be unmasked out here. Don't worry, Bya. I will explain everything."

Byakuya glared into the hollow's eyes for a moment, then turned back into the tent. Renji climbed to his feet and dusted himself off, his heart still pounding from when his captain had knocked him down and threatened him. It wasn't the first time Byakuya had gone off on him, but he'd never seen quite this much unleashed fury in his captain that didn't end with the noble crushing the offender. He shook his head and started past Ryota, then stopped, realizing what he had heard before.

"He…let you call him Bya?" Renji said, disbelieving.

"It is a cover name," Ryota answered, smiling, "Otherwise, I'm sure he would have given me his full name."

The three sat down inside the tent and Ryota poured tea for them. Byakuya stole careful glances at Renji as they drank the tea, still not yet fully comprehending that his vice captain had returned from death.

"Okay," said Ryota finally, "It no longer looks like anyone's planning to kill anyone, so I guess we're ready to talk."

"Well," said Byakuya, "The last I remember is you knocking me out, so perhaps you could explain how you seem to act the part of an ally, but you felt the need to subdue me."

"I had just penetrated your cover, and you would likely have attacked me, drawing attention that neither of us could afford. I didn't want to hurt you, so I knocked you out. Then, I informed Renji that I had found a shinigami and he came and told me that you were the one he had been searching for. We waited for you to regain consciousness, but then you began to develop symptoms of having been affected by that hollow vamp's saliva. You were out cold except when Renji came into the tent and you two…"

"I _tended _you," Renji said, giving Ryota an odd look that silenced the Arrancar, but made him smirk, "I took care of you until the effects wore off and you fell into a normal sleep."

"And how did I become able to fire a cero instead of kido?" asked the noble, looking down at his hand, "Is it a lingering effect of being exposed to the hollow vamp?"

"No," said Ryota, "It is an illusion. You are actually conjuring normal kido spells, but we all perceive them as ceros. It's not a strong enough illusion to fool Aizen, but it will fool most hostile creatures other than him. You remember that you didn't want to use your kido, because it would have given you away. Now, you can cautiously use it…as long as you do not do so when Aizen is around."

"And you, Ryota, have been so gracious as to assist the two of us because…?"

Ryota smiled patiently.

"I started to tell you before, but we were interrupted," he said, loosening his top and revealing the red "X" tattoo again, "I helped you two because I figured you would have the strength and want to help me and the others who have been chosen as Sousuke Aizen's sacrifices."

Byakuya's frown deepened.

"Sacrifices? What do you mean?"

Ryota leaned forward, locking eyes with the noble.

"You found out about the machine, ne?" the hollow asked.

Byakuya hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"I did."

"But you don't know how it works exactly."

"I know it is some sort of incendiary device…"

"That will blow a hole in the dimension wall. But Bya, perhaps it hasn't occurred to you to ask what kind of machine it would take…what someone would have to do to actually damage that wall. The ones of us among the hollows who wear this marking know what it will take. We know because we are the way, the means that Aizen will use."

Byakuya took a slow, sharp inhale and his reiatsu flared.

"I see that you begin to understand," said Ryota, nodding, "You know that he is planning to create the King's Key…or…that is what he is using to distract your forces. Right now, he wants your Head Captain to believe that is his goal. He attacks them and teases them so that they will not become aware of what he is doing here."

"And what ungodly plan has he concocted here?" Byakuya asked, already suspecting.

"I think that you should see it. Put on your hollow masks and come with me."

Byakuya nodded and he and a calmer Renji quickly prepared themselves. As Byakuya slipped his mask into place, he felt Renji's eyes on him. He looked up at the redhead questioningly.

"What is it, Abarai?" he asked quietly.

Renji gave him a little smile and sighed softly.

"I'm just…glad you're okay now."

_And I am glad you are okay too, Renji._

"Come," Byakuya said, turning away, "It is time to go."

It struck the noble keenly how he actually felt the deflation of the redhead's reiatsu behind him.

_We can't keep on like this. But…_

He paused with his back to Renji.

"Renji…"

The redhead froze, staring at Byakuya's back.

"I am glad you are okay too."

He felt the lovely smile and the flare of happiness behind him and wondered if what he had done had been the right thing. It felt right…but he wondered as he left the tent with Renji at his side, if allowing himself to bond more closely might, in the end, work against them. It was important to keep a distance to maintain the aura of command, wasn't it? It was what he had been taught. But a small voice inside him whispered that that wasn't the only reason he said those things he knew would put distance between them. He had let someone in before…been smiling and kind, gentle and loving. And he had paid several times over for that. And so it might be wrong not to show Renji what he really felt. But it was safer.

He felt a flare of submerged pain from that still-aching wound in his heart from years before, and he swallowed hard. He wondered when in the three worlds he had become such a coward. But…he just couldn't let himself get hurt like that again.

"Are you sure you're all right, Captain?" Renji asked, "You still look draggy."

"That is part of my disguise," the noble lied, "Do not be concerned."

He thought he might have heard Renji stifle a chuckle.

He ignored it and followed Ryota across the camp and off to the left of the regiment. Then they worked their way up the side and to the front, concealing themselves within ranging groups of other hollows. They came to a rise and stopped. Byakuya and Renji looked down and caught their breath in surprise. As far as they could see ahead of the regiment, hollows filled every inch of the desert sand.

"These are not fighter class…" Byakuya murmured, frowning, "What…?"

"It takes a million living souls to create the king's key," Ryota said softly, "and it takes five times as many hollow sacrifices to create the Hollow Lord's Key."

The two shinigamis were silent for a long moment, staring down at the hollows that walked ahead of the fighting regiment. They didn't miss the fact that many looked to be children.

"Bastard," Renji hissed softly.

Byakuya looked up at Ryota.

"What can you tell me about that device?" he asked Ryota.

Ryota sighed.

"Unlike the King's Key, this 'key' is actually a horribly destructive bomb. The sacrifice of hollows provides a heavy burst of life force, which is more pure than reiatsu, and therefore, while reiatsu will not penetrate, this bomb will. The sacrifices will be gathered at the wall and protected as the device is activated. It is activated upon the willing sacrifice of a member of the old royal family of Hueco Mundo. I don't know how Aizen found one. They were thought to have all been killed or died off, but he found one. So that sacrifice activates the bomb. Then all of the rest of the sacrificed souls are enveloped and reduced to their life force. That is sucked into the machine and directed at the wall. That is the only way besides the King's Key to compromise the wall."

"Do those 'sacrifices' know what is going to happen to them?" Renji asked softly.

"What do you think, Renji?" asked Ryota, sighing, "Aizen has told them that they have been chosen to open the way to the palace, but he led them to believe they would be given weapons and additional powers to fight their way in. Most have no idea what is really going on."

"Did you try to tell them?" asked the redhead.

"And what would that do?" Byakuya asked softly, "Renji…they wouldn't want to believe it. And even if they did, the ensuing chaos would end thousands upon thousands of lives as they tried to act. No…we must find another way to stop this."

"For your king," Ryota said quietly.

"No," Byakuya said, "For our king in part. But…also because his majesty values all souls. It is right to defend those being used wrongly."

"Even though they're hollows?" asked Ryota.

Byakuya met the Arrancars eyes steadily.

"It doesn't matter who they are. What he is doing to them is an atrocity…and we will stop it."

"Are you saying you have an idea, Captain?" asked Renji.

"Maybe…but first, I must ask. Where are they keeping the member of the royal family?"

Ryota smiled.

"I see you and I think alike, Bya," he said softly.


	6. Denial

**Chapter 6: Denial**

**(Ah, Sunday again, so I am fulfilling a request by Whipoflightheartofsword for this story. Enjoy! :) Love, Spunky)**

"Abarai, will you please stop fidgeting?" Byakuya asked stridently, "You are not going with us, and that is final."

Renji scowled.

"You're going to infiltrate the most well guarded section of the enemy camp, aided by an enemy agent. And Code Six, Article Four says that _any_ time you travel undercover within an enemy area and tended by an enemy agent, _even_ if that enemy is an ally, you are supposed to…"

"I know the military codes better than you do, Abarai," Byakuya said brusquely, "And that is Code Four, Article Six. However, any captain worth his haori would tell you that in a situation such as the one in which we find ourselves, it is best to include as few as possible on the exploratory mission."

"Then you should let me go instead of you!" Renji insisted, "I have clearance for this kind of mission, Captain! And there is no reason to risk you! I can go and find out anything you want to know…"

"Silence, Abarai," the noble said shortly, "You are staying here."

Renji threw his pack down on the floor of the tent and dropped down beside it, his reiatsu burning fitfully around him. He didn't say anything more, but Byakuya could see that he was biting his lips hard to keep himself quiet. Ryota caught his eye for a moment and gave him a look that clearly meant, "_Kids…_" Byakuya thought for a moment, then let out a soft sigh and sat down in front of the sulking redhead. He kept his manner firm and controlled and tried his best to convey understanding, even though he could have simply let the argument end as it was.

"Renji," he said quietly, ignoring the soft flare of anger that extended out from his subordinate and curled around him, "There is something else I want you to consider. It is a question I asked myself before deciding that you should remain here."

Renji gave him a mulish look and said nothing.

"I want you to consider that you and I are virtually alone out here, no way to contact home, to get help, nowhere to run if we are discovered. There is a machine that no one but us knows is going to attack the dimension wall, and we can't take the chance of leaving here and becoming lost trying to find our way home to tell someone. If we are both caught, neither of us can free the other. If we are both killed, then neither of us can free the member of the royal family, whom Aizen plans to sacrifice. We _must_ not allow that sacrifice to take place."

"I know all of that, Captain," Renji said, "But we both know that if there is one of us who is more expendable on a mission like this, it's me."

Byakuya's caught his breath and his eyes widened slightly.

"What?" he asked softly, "You think you…"

"I am," said Renji, "I am the vice captain. You are more powerful and you know more and have more experience, so you are the one with the best chance to stop this from happening. That means that, logically, you should avoid risking yourself until it is necessary."

He took a breath and stiffened his lips, tensed like a cord pulled taut, but carefully avoiding giving in to his temper.

"Captain, you know I'm right. Please allow me to go on this exploratory mission. I promise that I will take no chances. I will stay close to Ryota and I will carefully survey the area and report back everything I find. Please. You are still recovering from the effects of that hollow vamp. I just…I want to help, okay? I know I'm pretty damned useless next to you, but…"

"Very well, Abarai. You may go."

"I can do this, Captain. I can. I know you think I'm…_what?_" Renji said, looking as though he couldn't trust his own ears, "Did you just…?"

"I said, you may go," Byakuya said, off-handedly.

"Just like that?"

"Do you need a personal invitation?" asked Byakuya, annoyance rising in his voice, "Get going."

"But…wait, didn't you just say…?"

"You made a logical argument and I came the decision that your logic was sound. Go, before our opportunity passes, Abarai. I will wait here."

"Oh…uh, okay, thanks, Captain, really! You won't be sorry."

"I'd better not be," Byakuya said, looking at him out of the corner of one gray eye.

The noble watched quietly as the redhead flash stepped away with Ryota.

"Be careful," he said softly, looking in the direction the two had gone, "Come back safely…Renji."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Your captain looks much better now," Ryota said as he led Renji through the camp, "His reiatsu is still low, but he seems in full control of his faculties now."

"Yeah," Renji agreed, glancing over his shoulder and catching sight of Byakuya turning back into the tent, "I'm glad. I was real worried about him. He was _definitely_ not himself, that's for sure!"

"I agree," said the big hollow, "It made me wonder, Vice Captain, how long you would avoid telling your captain everything about what happened."

"What?" Renji laughed nervously, "Are you kidding? Tell Byakuya Kuchiki that he completely vamped me while hopped up on that damned thing's saliva, and that I let him talk me into having the best sex of my entire life with him? The guy would kill me! He'd whip out that ban kai and have me sliced into pieces in a heartbeat! I'd be dead before I hit the ground!"

Ryota studied him for a moment.

"He is attracted to you."

"What?" said Renji, "Come again? My captain is _not_ attracted to me! I piss the guy off every time I open my mouth."

"A sure sign," said the Arrancar, with certainty, "But I admit, it does seem as though, even though he _is_ attracted to you, he has no ear for the voice inside him."

Renji frowned quizzically.

"You want to say that again in English?" he asked, smirking.

"Your captain is attracted to you, but he is so used to denying himself the expression of what he is feeling, that he denies himself knowledge of what is in his heart."

"And you figured all of that out in just the short time you've known him? Really?"

Ryota smiled.

"I am good at observing people."

"Damned straight," the redhead mused, "Well, Ryota, Captain Kuchiki might, as you say, be attracted to me, but that attraction's never going anywhere, because he is a captain and a noble clan leader, and I am his _peasant, male subordinate_."

Ryota gave the redhead a tolerant smile that made Renji sure that he was missing something obvious.

"Hearts have a way of crossing borders that minds cannot fathom, Renji," he said, sliding into the shadows and pulling Renji along with him as a group of guards walked by.

"So you're saying that he likes me and that _something_ will make him show it?"

"I think he is already showing it…in small ways," Ryota explained, "You just have to look at what he is doing and see the emotions behind it."

"_Byakuya Kuchiki_, making emotional decisions…yeah, right!" Renji huffed, sarcastically, "That'll be the day…"

"Tell me something, Renji. When Bya first saw you revealed, what did he do? How did he react?"

Renji laughed.

"Um, at first, he just stared at me like he'd seen a ghost, then he tackled me and started threatening to kill me."

"Your captain is a very experienced military strategist, ne?" Ryota said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, so?"

"So…your very experienced captain, upon seeing you alive when he thought you had died, _threw caution to the wind, abandoned subtlety and stealth and started yelling and pounding on you_? He was in the middle of an enemy camp and he left the tent unmasked and engaged in a loud display that he is lucky did not end with the both of you being discovered. It doesn't sound like the way an experienced captain would act, ne?"

Renji's eyes widened as he remembered.

"Huh…yeah, that is…unusual, I guess. I didn't think about it before, but yeah…it was an odd reaction for him."

"And tell me something else, Renji. Who initiated sex between you?" Ryota asked placidly.

"Aww, that's not fair! Captain was all hopped up on that hollow vamp's saliva! He didn't know what he was saying!"

Ryota smirked.

"You don't know much about hollow vamps, do you, Renji?"

"Actually, no," Renji admitted, "Not to piss you off or anything, but I usually attack hollows when they cross my path. I don't usually stop and ask them for a rundown of their abilities and attributes."

"I think your captain would get after you for that attitude," the Arrancar said dryly, "But since he's not with us, let me inform you. Hollow vamp saliva lowers a person's inhibitions and makes him or her very attractive, but it does not affect what a person feels inside, only what they show…"

Renji furrowed his brow for a moment, then a sweet smile broke out on his face.

"Oh…so when he went on about the soup I made him while he was in the hospital, he was trying to say he appreciated it."

"I have a feeling he didn't merely discuss your culinary skills, Renji…"

Renji blushed.

"He…ah…liked touching my tattoos…and he was worried I didn't like him, probably because he couldn't help admitting he liked me."

Renji shook his head and stopped himself.

"Oh…holy hell! Ryota…he _does_ like me, doesn't he?" he said incredulously, "He does like me. And when he said he wanted to have sex with me…it wasn't just the effects of the hollow vamp saliva. Oh…wow. My captain…_likes _me!"

"I'd say he more than likes you, Renji. We had a conversation when I first met him, and he admitted to me that he was distracted by regret."

"That could have been about anything," Renji sighed.

"It was about someone he lost."

"His wife died."

"Was it recent?"

Renji frowned.

"No, why?"

"Because," Ryota said, "He told me that it was a very recent loss…someone he regretted not admitting his feelings to."

Renji eyed the hollow guardedly.

"You know, Captain isn't the kind who usually has deep discussions like that…not with anyone. But you…"

"It wasn't me," Ryota said, shaking his head, "It was pent up emotion. I'd say he was pretty broken up over thinking you were dead."

"Okay," admitted Renji, "I have to say, it does seem like Captain, I don't know…he likes me…enough that with his inhibitions lowered like that, he wanted to have sex with me. But even so, he didn't choose to admit it to me, Ryota. And I'm sure he had his reasons in choosing _not_ to say anything. And I'm not going to make a move on someone who likes me, but has hang ups about it. If he was really serious about wanting me…really serious? It wouldn't be just sex he wanted…and he would _say or do _something."

"And are you also saying that you are not attracted to him to the point of 'making a move' yourself?" Ryota asked pointedly.

"Hah," Renji huffed, "Like I would make a move on _Byakuya Kuchiki_. Let _me _inform _you_. No one makes a move on that guy if he doesn't want his ass sliced to pieces…especially not his male, peasant subordinate. The only way Byakuya Kuichiki is going to get roped is if _he_ is so attracted that he can't help it. It would be as likely as getting struck by lightning. And since he's already been struck by it once, it's not likely to happen again."

Ryota laughed softly.

"Actually, mathematically, the odds are the same, Renji, no matter that it struck him once before."

"Huh, you know what I mean. But you know, even if he did feel that way and he came out and said it, I don't think it would work out."

"Why not?" asked Ryota.

"Because he and I are too different," Renji explained, "He's white bread, upper crust, closed off emotionally, clan leader, captain, and he doesn't fit into my life any better than I fit into his. I can't picture myself being locked up in his mansion, acting proper and not able to be myself. And I'm sure as hell not going to expect he would drop everything and settle into my shitty apartment and tolerate my noisy friends and the fact that I like to drink and have fun."

"I see," said Ryota, "And yet, even in full cognizance of that, and in full awareness as your captain was not, you accepted his invitation to have sex."

"What?" said Renji, blinking, "Hey, you know how irresistible he was, all glowing and vulnerable like that! How was I supposed to…?"

"So…knowing that your captain liked you and was unable to hold back his feelings, you accepted his offer because…"

"Aww, come on, that's not fair! He vamped me. He swept me off my feet and I lost it and had sex with him!"

"Knowing that he really feels something for you, even though he hides it. And Renji, maybe he hides it because he knows you will reject him. Maybe he makes the same excuses in his head that you make in yours. Did you consider that?"

"No," Renji admitted, "I didn't. I guess I wasn't really being fair. But there's no harm done if I just keep my mouth shut and don't say anything, right? I mean, it's not like with a woman where you have to worry she'll get knocked up. There's nothing to give away what happened. I can just not say anything and we'll just go on the way we were."

"That sounds a little shortsighted, Renji," Ryota said, stopping him and peeking around a corner, "Because…don't you think it will affect you now, knowing that he feels unrequited love for you?"

"Whoa…wait, who said anything about being in love? We like each other, sure, but…"

"Renji, your captain doesn't seem like the kind who engages in casual sex."

Renji's eyes widened and a guilty look crossed his face.

"No, no he's not."

"Then, you must assume that his interest in you is deeper than simple attraction and lust."

"Shit…" said Renji, deflating inside, "I hope you're wrong about that. But even if you're right, it doesn't mean he would have acted on it. So…the only right thing to do is to not say anything, and leave things the way they are. Maybe it will make him unhappy, but at least it will save him the embarrassment of having his feelings exposed against his wishes. And if I don't say anything, this will all just blow over quietly."

"Ah," said Ryota, "Least said, soonest mended."

"Actually," Renji said, shaking his head, "It's more like 'What he doesn't know won't kill _me_.'"

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya knelt quietly in the tent, listening to the rising sandstorm outside and taking sips of hot green tea. He sighed softly, recalling his decision to let Renji go on the exploratory mission instead of him.

_If I had been thinking straight, I would have simply assigned him to the task in the first place. But…when I went to say the words, all I could think of was how I had thought he was gone…and how when he was gone, I realized how much I took him for granted. And I realized how much it would hurt if something happened to him. I was going to risk myself to protect him. It was an unsound military decision I wouldn't have made normally, but…_

"I have to let this go," he said softly, "Even if I said the words, there are so many things that would work against us. Renji is young and carefree, and noble life steals away a person's freedom. Hisana was a bird so fragile that she needed a cage, but Renji Abarai is strong and beautiful…and I don't think he could bear to be caged up as I am. It is better then to admire him from a distance. It is more strategically sound too. Falling in love with a subordinate who may have to die for you is foolish…"

He took another sip of tea and gave a long sigh.

"…as I just found out."

_These are just emotions. They can be overcome. I can enjoy Renji's beauty as I train him for that captain's haori, and through that training, I can send him on…and let these feelings inside me fade away as he moves on to grander things…_

_He never needs to know._

_No one does._


	7. At First Sight

**Chapter 7: At First Sight**

Byakuya laid on his back in Ryota's tent, listening to the oddly lonely howl of the wind and the patter of the sand that struck the tent's strong canvas. He tried not to think about Renji being out in the driving storm, huddling against the sides of the tents in the chill darkness, inches from being discovered at every turn.

"Kami, what is wrong with me?" he mused softly, "I have sent Abarai out alone on equally dangerous missions with less capable backup and felt nothing like this...this rush of irrational emotion! Why is this happening? Renji is smart and tough, even if less wise and a bit on the reckless side. He will be fine. He always comes back...though, sometimes more than a little beat up. It is not right for me to worry this way about a subordinate who is out doing a job that he is more than capable of doing."

But as much as he told himself that the unnatural fears he was having were ridiculous, and that he really needn't worry for the redhead, his fears cropped up repeatedly, keeping him from dozing off to pass the time, and riling his reiatsu.

_I do not believe this. I am acting like some kind of drama-prone teen! Renji is fine. I would feel it if there was a shift on the reiatsu in the area, or if his declined. He is fine._

He felt his heart pounding oddly in his chest and a wicked bit of dizziness in his head. All at once, the sickness he had felt upon waking after suffering a night under the influence of the hollow vamp's saliva, returned in full force and he crawled out of the tent, not even bothering with a cloak. He was instantly sorry as bits of sand pelted his skin, making it sting uncomfortably as he closed his eyes and violently expelled the little bit he had managed to eat and drink before.

_Damn...I should just leave off eating and drinking until we return home! Gods, what wouldn't I give to lie down in my own bed, to be tended by Torio and Michio, and to crawl into a comfortable bathroom to vomit. This is beyond miserable..._

"Aww," said a drunken, drawling male voice, startling him and he raised himself onto his hands and knees, "What'sa matter, little (hic) k-kitty? You get some bad human carcass?"

_Why, in kami's name does nearly every stupid hollow in Hueco Mundo seem to (A) stumble across my path and (B) completely miss that fact that I am NOT a WOMAN!_

He judged that the noise and bluster of the storm would drown out the sound of him knocking out the inebriated hollow and struck him with a kido spell.

...then realized, first that the spell had misfired, second, that the drunken hollow was now both drunk and enraged, and finally, that trying to use his powers while so horridly unsettled, made him have another bout of sickness. He managed to hold it off long enough to employ a bit of hakudo to incapacitate the drunken hollow, then he collapsed next to it, retching until he saw spots.

_What is going on?_

_This is insane!_

He groaned discontentedly, rising up onto his forearms and realizing that he now had to drag the unconscious hollow sufficiently far away so that he would not remember where he had found the irascible, vomiting, ninja kitten.

_Perhaps he will write it off as a strange dream. _

_I am certainly wishing that I could..._

_Oh, gods, Renji...how long until you get back and can make me some soothing tea?_

He stifled the nearly incomprehensible urge to laugh at his own pathetic situation and forced his complaining body into motion, dragging the hollow off to the edge of the camp, then leaving him collapsed next to one of the tents.

He wrapped his arms around his midsection, bending forward and covering his face with his free arm as he stumbled back in the direction of Ryota's tent. He reached it with surprising ease and collapsed onto the bed that Ryota had laid out for him, abandoning all thoughts of food or tea in favor of some much needed sleep. The wind had grown somewhat softer and the patter of the sand less intense, making it easy for him to succumb to a deep, lovely and dreamless sleep.

...which lasted all of five minutes until he was brought awake by the shriek of the camp alarms.

He sat up, wide-eyed, looking around and finding himself alone. And although every military instinct he had screamed at him to remain in hiding until the alert ended, the insanity that had invaded his normally stoic and focused mind had him on his feet, ignoring the sickness in his belly and dressing quickly, then slipping out into the storm and turning in the direction where he sensed Renji.

_He is all right._

_He is fine._

_Why is my heart pounding so fast?_

XXXXXXXXXX

Stay close to me now," whispered Ryota, pulling his cloak more tightly around his face to ward off the swirling sand, and leading Renji along a space between several back to back tents, "I don't want to lose you in the storm. We are close now."

"Are you sure we shouldn't get under cover?" Renji asked, pressing up against the big hollow and feeling the wind tug at him as though ready to take him off his feet.

"It's actually better to do this now if we want to get close," said Ryota, "I have been watching the guards around the hostage, so I know pretty much what your captain will need to know. What we can do now that I couldn't before is get closer. I want to know exactly which tent the hostage is in, who is in the ones around it, how many guards will be in the area and ways to slip away. I can manage that better during the sandstorm when the guards have a more difficult time seeing and hearing."

"You sure like to flirt with danger," commented the redhead, smirking appreciably.

Ryota gave him a cryptic look.

"I would say that you are of the same persuasion, ne Renji?" he chuckled, :falling in love with your beautiful, noble captain."

"Shut up," Renji laughed, blushing and following as Ryota led him on.

"This is the set of tents," the big hollow whispered into his ear, "I can feel Gin and Tousen's reiatsu in the two rear tents here. There is a hollow in the one on the end and I know the big tent is Aizen's. But his reiatsu is always concealed, so we'll never be sure if he's in there or..."

He broke off as a rustle sounded at the back of the tent that held the hollow, and a small, lithe form slipped out into the space between the tents. Renji and Ryota froze, watching as the hollow's face lifted, revealing lovely feminine features and wide green eyes.

"You think that girl is the royal..." Renji began, then stopped as he noticed that Ryota had gone stock still and staring, "Hey, ah...Ryota. Hey!"

"We have to help her," the hollow said, starting forward.

Renji caught his arm and held him back as a guard came suddenly around the corner and face to face with the lady hollow.

"Hey you!" be yelled, grabbing her.

"Damn it!" hissed Renji, "Look! It's Gin and Aizen behind the guard. Ryota, we have to get..."

His voice was drowned out by blaring sirens as the camp alarm sounded. Ryota shook his head and seemed to regain his senses.

"Come Renji," the big hollow said, leading him into the shadows.

"Shit," muttered the redhead, "This is a bad spot to be in. It looks as though every freaking hollow in the place is coming this way. How are we going to..."

He broke off, blinking as dust coalesced around a nearby group of tents and the sounds of squealing and tiny, running feet filled the air. Ryota saw the men around the recaptured hollow princess look in the direction of the noise, wincing and scowling at the grating sounds, and he grabbed Renji and forced him into a run across the open space near them. They ducked under cover again and found that they were out of the area with the highest concentration of guards.

"Whew!" sighed Renji, "What a relief. If those hollow swine hadn't startled at just the right..."

His jaw dropped as Byakuya appeared suddenly next to them, falling into a crouch and watching along with them as the guards dragged the princess back into her tent and Aizen and Gin followed them inside.

"A _willing _sacrifice?" Byakuya said in a disgusted tone.

Then, he noticed Renji staring at him with the oddest, quizzical look on his face.

"What is it, Renji?" he asked in a solemn, serious tone.

"Ah...um, Captain?" Renji queried, his voice shaking slightly, as though he was terrified of saying a thing.

"What is it, Abarai?" the noble said impatiently, as the three turned back and started towards Ryota's tent.

"C-captain...erm...that wasn't...it couldn't have been...you, ne?" he asked haltingly, "You know...imitating hollow swine?"

"Me?" said the noble, arching a graceful eyebrow, "Of course not."

"Then...that was really a bunch of hollow swine?" Renji asked, looking back in the other direction for a moment and scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"No," said the noble, "It was neither."

"Uh...okay, then...what _was_ that god-awful racket?"

Byakuya tilted his head slightly and glared at Renji out of the corner of one gray eye.

"I have never heard the sound of Rukon or hollow swine," he told the confused redhead, "That sound you heard was me doing an imitation of you imitating hollow swine, based on your knowledge of Rukon swine."

"Augh...!" Renji said, choking back a sudden, intense urge to laugh, "Oh...um, okay, good! That was...really well done, Captain!"

"Thank you," the noble said, an edge of warning in his tone that made Renji go instantly silent.

Ryota stifled a chuckle, shook his head and led the two back through the camp. They arrived at the tent just as another sandstorm flared up around the encampment.

"Here we go again," sighed Renji, settling down beside the bed where Byakuya had curled up and was resting comfortably.

"Well," the noble said sleepily, "At very least, it will give us a little more time to make a strategy for acquiring the hollow princess."

"Yes," said Ryota, an odd catch in his tone, "It's too bad that those others came along when they did. We could have rescued her, then and there."

"And done what?" Byakuya said, frowning, "Run into the storm amidst the dangers of the storm itself, hollow vamps and spirit wolves? It seems unlike you to suggest such a thing. Your instincts are usually sound, Ryota."

"Yeah," chortled Renji, "except when a lovely princess in distress comes along, ne?"

"Abarai," Byakuya said sternly, "I will thank you to shut up now and avoid annoying the one hollow in this camp besides that princess who does _not_ wish to kill and devour us!"

"Aww...sorry," the redhead said, blushing, "Just couldn't help but notice his reaction when she crawled out of that tent."

"Hmmm," muttered Ryota, "Well, you might just remember next time that I am not the only one sensitive to the charms of one who is far out of my league, Renji."

Renji's blush deepened, and he glanced nervously at Byakuya, but the noble seemed to be in the midst of drifting off.

"Do you...think you could make some tea, Renji?" Byakuya asked.

"Sure thing, Captain," Renji said, affably.

"Arigatou."

Renji turned away, glad to have something to do to keep himself out of trouble. He carefully heated the water first with a kido spell, sighing in relief at it being one of the lucky times his kido didn't backfire noisily. He added the measured amount of tea leaves and waited the proper amount of time, finishing and returning to Byakuya just in time to hear a soft, contented snore issue from the sleeping captain. Renji shook his head, smiling at how cute Byakuya looked all curled up and sleeping, completely at ease for perhaps the first time since they had arrived in Hueco Mundo.

_Well...except for after..._

He stole another glance at Byakuya's serene sleeping face, remembering the lovely, vampish beauty and aggressiveness he had evinced while affected by the hollow vamp's saliva.

_Oh fuck, could we just bottle some of that? I could really use that right now to..._

He lost the ability to think for a moment and felt a little unsteady, remembering how Byakuya had looked, bared and glowing, his body dancing sweetly against Renji's and his large, hazy eyes filled with wanton affection and blatant lust.

_Ah, I should not be thinking of him this way..._

"R-renji?" Byakuya sighed in his sleep, making the redhead catch his breath and earning another muted chuckle from Ryota, who laid on a mat on the other side of the tent.

The noble turned and threw a pale arm around Renji, making him fall down beside Byakuya as the noble turned in his sleep and wrapped himself around the redhead.

"C-captain?" Renji said, so breathless that the surprised exclamation failed to stir the sleeping noble.

He forgot all about the tea he had made and sank down deeply into the incredible warmth, and sweet scent, strength and incredible beauty that was Byakuya. And as though he sensed the redhead's deep affection, the noble sighed again in his sleep and burrowed his face into Renji's hair.

_Oh, hell, just let me die right now like this..._

_It would so be worth it!_

_As much as I know the guy will kill me, I can't move. I never felt anything as soft as his hair and skin, smelled anything as pretty as the scent of sakura, tasted lips that sweet and hungry. Gods...I could die from being that close to something so perfect. He makes me feel so stupid, clumsy and slow, most of the time. But being held in his arms like this is like something right out of heaven._

_I must be dreaming._

_I have to be dreaming._

_Oh god, he moved and..._

Renji's swelling member throbbed almost painfully against his inner thigh, burning the sensitive skin there, and aching for Byakuya to move again. And each time he did, Renji caught his breath, swallowed hard and felt his hardness twitch longingly.

_But we were only together that once because of his reaction to the hollow vamp's saliva. And while it might be like Ryota said...that it doesn't make a person do things they don't want to...just things that they feel, but that they normally wouldn't express. It's damned beautiful and fucking scary that Byakuya is attracted to me that way. I think it's pretty clear I'm attracted to him, too._

Byakuya moved again, gently derailing his thoughts.

_Oh..._

_Can we just forget where we are and stay here for awhile?_

_I'll gladly accept the beating you're gonna give me in the morning, when you wake up and find us wrapped around each other...entangled...warm...alive..._

_I feel so alive._

_I feel so..._

XXXXXXXXXX

If he hadn't had, from the moment of waking, the intense need to evacuate his stomach (despite having no idea how anything could be left to expel), Byakuya might have immediately registered the delicious heat of the strong male body that his was entangled with. As it was, he only untangled himself as swiftly as possible, saving his reaction for a more appropriate time, and rushing out of the tent as Renji sat up, blinking and looking around for him.

"Captain?"

He heard the soft sounds of muted retching and coughing outside, and gave a sympathetic sigh. He yawned and moved to make a fresh cup of tea for his ailing captain, delivering it to his hand as Byakuya returned to the tent and dragged himself back to the bed, where he collapsed in a very pretty, but unusually undignified heap. He lifted his head enough to take a few small sips of tea, then groaned and collapsed onto his pillow again.

"Damn," Renji whispered, yawning again, "What's going on with you, Captain? You're sick as a dog...though, I don't think I've seen a dog that sick that wasn't dead."

Byakuya glared at him, but stopped short of answering.

Then, it suddenly occurred to the noble, how and where he had awakened.

"Abarai?" he said, blinking, "How did we become...entangled?"

"Ah...I don't know," Renji said nervously, "It's pretty cold. We had to share space because there's only two beds and three of us. I guess we got cold and just...ended up that way. S-sorry, Captain. It won't happen a..."

"It is all right," said the noble, sounding somewhat recovered, "Your explanation..."

_...is bullshit,_ thought Renji.

"...makes sense," finished Byakuya, "I do not know what has come over me. I must be weak minded from being so ill. I do not remember a thing."

_And I don't think I'll ever forget how beautiful that was. A thousand fucking miles from home, middle of the desert, enemy territory, a hair's breadth from being caught, and all I can think is beautiful...beautiful...Byakuya fucking Kuchiki is the most beautiful person I've ever..._

_Oh gods, I made love to that gorgeous, perfect, slender, wonderful body of his...kissed that mouth until I could barely feel my lips. I guess because I knew it was a one time thing and that a guy like me was only going to have that once..._

"Renji, I am speaking to you!"

"What?" the redhead blurted out, his heart pounding and his eyes going wide, "Sorry, Captain...I...I..."

_I love you._

"Renji, you do not think you are getting whatever might be wrong with me...?" Byakuya said worriedly, his pale hands cupping Renji's roaring hot cheeks, "But you are feverish. Does your stomach hurt too?"

_Not my stomach._

_But a part of me feels like it turned to stone..._

"I'm, uh...I'm okay," Renji said, shivering, "just kinda cold."

"Lie down," said Byakuya.

_I think I see where this is going._

_See it and fucking love it!_

He stifled a moan of pleasure as Byakuya's body wrapped around him from behind and the noble's cool hands touched his face again.

"Is that better?"

_Captain, you have no idea just how much better that is!_

"Try to sleep. The sandstorm is still raging outside."

_And my lust is raging inside._

_And you are so beautifully clueless._

_Gods, I love you, Captain..._

_I won't be able to sleep a wink._

_I don't want to miss a moment of this!_


	8. The Bonding

**Chapter 8: The Bonding**

**(Another installment in the Redstravaganza! Thanks a million to reviewers Kakashii'sWifey (Byakuya wasn't actually struck by lightning. It was a metaphor for falling in love. He was 'struck by lightning' when he fell in love with Hisana, so Renji is using the metaphor that lightning doesn't strike twice...although in reality, it can...That make sense? lol), PaulaGay (That lovely moment is closing in quickly!), Bre 42 (Aww, I thought of that song too! So glad you like it...and here's more!), Walkure (That Bya-kitty has claws, and Renji is about to figure out how sharp they are!), Firebirdever (This chapter will see a cute mixture of horny and scared witless!), Chiaki Kuchiki (Ryota's connection with the princess will be revealed soon...and Renji? Well, he'd better be ready to run!), Sscullys (Aww, thanks! And here's a new chapter to make you smile big!), and Rauwrtsch (You've got it, kiddo! Here you go!) Enjoy the new chapter! Love, Spunky)**

Renji felt Byakuya catch his breath uncomfortably, then wriggle free from where he had been curled around the redhead's body. He crawled out of the tent as the redhead and the big hollow looked after him, meeting each other's eyes in amusement and sympathy, then shaking their heads as they heard the sounds of coughing and retching begin.

"Damn, he's been sick for days!" Renji exclaimed, "Ever since the night that he was affected by the hollow vamp's saliva. Do you think that he is still suffering symptoms from that?"

"Well," the big hollow said, glancing towards the doorway, "I haven't known the saliva to produce such a long lasting effect, but I am not sure what else it could be. If we were speaking of a female, I would suspect pregnancy, but he is male."

Renji's heart skipped strangely, and he suddenly remembered something that Rukia had said to him before.

_"It feels so good to be able to talk to you again," he said quietly, watching as Rukia laid down beside him under the sakura tree and rested the back of her head on his shoulder as she had when they would stargaze together on lazy nights in Inuzuri, "I know that with Aizen being on the loose and a war coming, things are bad, but I can't think about that because I'm just so glad that Ichigo and Captain were able to save you."_

_"Hey, dummy," Rukia said, smacking him, "You helped too, you know. I'm not ever going to forget that. You know, as much as I love my brother, Byakuya, and I am thankful for him making me a part of the Kuchiki family, you are still as much of a brother to me as he is. Just because we don't share a name and we don't live together like we did growing up, doesn't take away how we grew up, taking care of each other."_

_Renji went quiet, biting his lips gently at the soft swell of emotion that welled up inside at her words._

_"Thanks, Rukia," he said softly._

_They stopped talking for a time, just looking up into the sky and remembering. Sweet sakura and plum drifted over their senses and left them relaxed and drowsy._

_"So," Renji said finally, to head off sleep, "Tell me about noble life. Soft comfortable beds? All the food you can eat? Beautiful gardens? Servants wiping your ass for you?"_

_"Renji!"_

_The redhead giggled, flinching as Rukia swatted his arm._

_"Tell me what you like best about it."_

_Rukia sighed and pressed closer to him._

_"I think that the best thing is having a connection to a family. You and I created a family too in Inuzuri, but you remember, Renji, that eventually our 'family' was lost. We were the only two of our group who survived into adulthood."_

_"Yeah," Renji agreed, closing his eyes for a moment._

_"So, it's nice having this bunch of relatives who you see all of the time. And you live together and share space, but it's more relaxed than we could ever be in Inuzuri. And now that Byakuya is being a little more open and spending time with me, he is teaching me all sorts of things...being more like a big brother and sharing things with me."_

_"Huh," mused Renji, "I guess all of that shit we all went through to save your ass really did change some things, ne?"_

_"Shut up!" Rukia laughed, smacking him again._

_Renji chuckled and went on._

_"He's different at the division too...more involved in our training. He even started training me personally."_

_"Really?" Rukia said, her eyes widening, "After...?"_

_"Yeah, it surprised me too. I thought, for sure, that after I crossed swords with him like that, he'd have me court-martialed or transferred or something."_

_"I would have thought so too," Rukia agreed, "But what happened really had an effect on him. He spent a lot of time alone, thinking afterward. Then, he opened up and started changing things. I can't tell you how much different and better things are now, Renji. You might be tempted to think that it was only the food, beds, gardens and things that have changed to make my life better, but I couldn't appreciate those things without my family...and my good friends to share it with."_

_"Ah, hell, you're gonna get all sappy now?" Renji joked._

_"Stop that, baka!" she snaped, elbowing him in the side._

_"Oof!" he grunted, "Hey, you wanna stop bruising me and look up at the damned stars. That is why we came out here, ne?"_

_"Yeah," Rukia agreed, falling silent again for awhile._

_"So," Renji said a few minutes later, "How is noble life different from the lovely peasant life we lived? Besides the obvious..."_

_"Well," Rukia sighed, "I'm not worried about where my next meal will come from. Now, I have to make sure I exercise or I'll get fat from all of the food those our attendants offer us. And I have to be used to a schedule. But I think one of the most fun things is all of the unexpected things I am learning."_

_"Oh? Like what?"_

_"Like the names and histories of the Kuchiki ancestors. Renji, I have to tell you, but you have to keep it secret, because we're not supposed to talk about it with commoners, but I found out that some noble males can have babies!"_

_"What?" Renji said, his eyes widening, "You're shitting me, right? Really?"_

_"Shh! Hey, stupid! That's supposed to be a secret!"_

_"Okay, okay, sorry," said Renji, "It just surprised me is all..."_

_"Well, Byakuya and I were in the archive one day and he showed me this story about an ancestor who was clan leader, but fell in love with a man. He wanted to marry the man, but had an obligation to the clan to make an heir. So, he had this brilliant scientist friend who concocted a drug that made him able to make a child with his lover. The elders of the time were shocked and although they allowed the marriage, they said that the drug must never again be used and all records of it had to be destroyed. But...what they didn't know was that the drug had a genetic effect...and every so often a noble Kuchiki male is born with this ability. Renji...you must never tell another living soul as the clan has kept the secret forever, but...Byakuya's father, Soujun Kuchiki, was actually the one who had Byakuya!"_

_"What? Get outta here! You're joking! Captain? He...?"_

_"Quiet, baka! Someone will hear you! Shh!"_

_"S-sorry!" Renji laughed, catching his breath, "You just shocked the shit out of me. Captain? Really?"_

_"Yes," Rukia confirmed, "It sad, but, Soujun was a very gentle, loving person. And while in the Gotei 13, he met a male member of one of the lesser clans. They carried on a secret romance and Soujun became pregnant. But the clan didn't want a scandal, so they concealed the pregnancy and just said that he impregnated a clan concubine, who died in childbirth."_

_"Wow...talk about a mindbender," Renji mused, "So, does that mean that Captain could...you know, get pregnant by a guy?"_

_"Hmmm," said Rukia, frowning, "It is a rare thing, but I suppose it's possible. But since Byakuya is heterosexual, I guess it doesn't matter."_

_"Right," chuckled Renji, "But that would be something, ne? And I think that even if he was gay, Captain would destroy any guy who tried to top him! And if they impregnated him, the guy better not plan on them having any part of him left to bury!"_

_"Shut up! Shut up, you ass! Someone is going to...Renji!"_

"Renji, are you all right?" asked Ryota, breaking the redhead out of his reverie.

Renji stared back at him, pale faced.

"What is it?" Ryota asked, looking concerned.

"Oh my god! Oh my kami, how could I have not thought about that? Shit..."

"What's wrong?"

"Oh..." Renji groaned.

"You look as ill as your captain," Ryota said, shaking his head, "Do you need some ginger tea?"

Renji opened his mouth to answer as Byakuya crawled back into the tent and collapsed on the bed. The redhead closed his mouth again as Ryota sighed in annoyance at his odd behavior and left the tent to take up his guard duty. Renji stared at Byakuya, where the noble laid, sprawled out on the bed and trying to go back to sleep.

"Abarai, do you think that you could cease staring at me and make me some tea?" Byakuya asked, shaking him out of his thoughts.

Renji felt an icy stab of fear in his gut.

_Oh my kami!_

_I..._

_I...may have..._

_C-could I have...?_

"Renji?"

"Y-yeah, sorry Captain. I just...I was just lost in my thoughts. I'll just...go and make that tea. Sorry."

"Arigatou."

His hands shook as he prepared the tea, and sweat broke out on his skin, feeling odd as the chill inside his belly made him feel like he had to pee.

_I may have gotten Captain Kuchiki...pregnant?_

_Kami, I am all kinds of fucking DEAD if that is true!_

_But it could be something else, right? It could be the hollow vamp saliva or something he ate or..._

_Oh gods, he's pregnant! He's pregnant and I'm the father, and he's gonna fucking KILL me before I even see my kid's face._

_Oh my kami, I'll bet he or she is going to be...beautiful. His pretty gray eyes, my red hair...or my eyes and his hair...his pretty face...or tall and..._

"Renji, I think that the water has boiled over."

"Oh...shit. Sorry, Captain," Renji said, nullifying the kido spell he was using to heat the water.

He poured a little more water into the half-empty cup and heated it more carefully, then focused on the tea to try to block out what he was thinking. He delivered it to Byakuya, who sat up and sipped at it, a look of relief coming over his face as the nausea eased.

"Ah...again, I thank you, Abarai. That is much better."

Renji gazed at the noble's prettily tumbled hair, rumpled clothing and sleepy gray eyes.

_Oh my gods, he's cute! He's getting cuter by the freaking minute. He is pregnant, isn't he? He's got that glow that they talk about with women and everything. Oh my god! Oh my freaking god! I got Captain pregnant!_

"Renji?"

"Huh?"

"Could I ask you to do something for me?"

Renji blinked and stared, surprised at how just thinking that the man could be pregnant didn't just scare the pants off of him, but that it made Byakuya and everything that he did, a hundred times more attractive. The movement of his hair as he turned his head, the cute 'looking at him out of the corner of one eye,' the not so frowning mouth...everything...

"Erm...yeah, Captain?" fidgeting uncomfortably.

_Maybe he won't kill me. Ryota seemed to think that Captain has feelings for me. But, even if he does, I can't...I mean, I'll never be good enough for a guy like him. Not in a million years. What would Captain ever see in me? At least Hisana was pretty. But me? I'm not pretty. I'm too tall, gangly, oddly marked and..._

"I asked if you could do something for me. You do not have to, but...I think it would bring some relief to me if you would. It is just...it is a bit personal I will understand if you do not wish to assist me."

Renji frowned and blinked to bring himself all of the way back to reality.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, tilting his head in askance.

"Well, despite the tea, my stomach is aching inside," Byakuya explained, "And there is a technique my father used to employ when I had a stomach ache. He...said that it was...useful to my mother when symptoms of pregnancy caused abdominal discomfort."

_His 'mother?' As in, Soujun? But if it helped him during the time he was pregnant with Byakuya, then maybe it will help._

"You will need to place your hands on my lower abdomen, where the discomfort is. You will likely sense...or, well with you, you may not sense...a slight imbalance in the reiatsu in the area. If you allow your reiatsu to flow into the area, it will bring my reiatsu back into balance."

"O-kay," said Renji, a flutter passing through his heart as Byakuya moved to the middle of the bed and opened his yukata.

_Oh kami!_

_This is..._

_This is my baby inside him...isn't it?_

_I'm going to feel my baby's reiatsu there, right?_

Renji's heart pounded fitfully as he swallowed hard and climbed onto the bed. He moved around behind the noble and took a steadying breath, then moved in close, reeling as he was struck with the warmth coming off of Byakuya's body, and the gentle scent of sakura.

_Just shoot me now._

_Let me die, holding him like this and I'll consider my life has been damned good to me. He's so warm and soft and..._

Renji's mind spun dazedly as he wrapped his arms around Byakuya from behind, pressing up against the noble's back. His breath touched the pretty skin of Byakuya's shoulder and Renji smiled at seeing a soft blush rise on the perfect surface.

"I apologize for asking you to do something so awkward," Byakuya said quietly, "But I could not think of another way to relieve the discomfort, which I have to do if I am going to continue to play an effective role in this mission."

_Oh shades! Oh kami...I wasn't thinking at all. I was so wrapped up in whether or not he was really pregnant with my kid that I forgot all about the damn facts of what's going on. We are stranded a hundred miles from nowhere...camped with the enemy and having to stop Aizen from detonating a bomb that can blow a hole in the dimension wall! He's got no idea at all that he's carrying a child. What if he puts himself in the line of fire? What if he gets hurt and the baby...?_

"Just place your hands here, Renji," Byakuya said, his cool hands guiding Renji to the noble's soft, warm belly.

Renji froze as his hands touched Byakuya's skin. A blush roared across his face and he was secretly glad that the noble was turned away from him.

_But if I get any harder than I am right now, there's no way that he isn't going to realize..._

"And let your reiatsu flow into the area...healing energy to relieve the discomfort and balance my reiatsu."

"And you say that this was useful when your mom was pregnant with you?" he asked, then bit his tongue at having brought up the subject.

_Not like he would ever entrust something like that to me...but..._

He felt Byakuya shift uncomfortably and a flutter went through the noble's body.

"Yes, but the technique is not relegated solely to that use. But when my mother was pregnant with me, it was a way for the two to bond. And my father told me that they could connect with my reiatsu, almost from the day I was conceived."

_Which means..._

Tears came to Renji's eyes as he sent his reiatsu through Byakuya's aching belly and sensed almost instantly, the tiny, beautiful presence of a very young soul.

_But, if I can sense it, then..._

_then..._

"Renji?" Byakuya said, frowning and looking down at his glowing belly.

His head half-turned, Renji could see the blossoming of realization that spread out across his features. he managed to hold himself still, to not panic and pull away.

_If the guy is going to kill me for this, at least I'll have this one, beautiful moment of the three of us...together...a family._

_The only family I've ever really had._

_I mean, Rukia was family to me, because we helped each other survive. But I have an actual, biological link to the child inside my captain. I've never known what it was like to feel that! So...let him kill me for it. But I'm going to ...have just this one beautiful moment of the three of us close together and bonded like this._

"Renji..." the noble said again, the hard collision of emotions in his voice softening the anger that came to the fore, "Renji, I am..."

Renji closed his eyes and bit his lip, waiting for Byakuya to pull away and to end his life then and there in a swell of pink bladed petals.

"Renji, I am pregnant," he said, frowning and staring at his belly as though trying to make sense of it, "How did I become pregnant?"

He grabbed Renji's hand and sent his reiatsu through it, and into his abdomen. A moment later, soft blue light rose around their hands, and both men felt the gentle connection with that tiny, growing soul.

"What is that? What did you do?" whispered Renji, barely trusting his voice, "Why? What is that glow?"

"Our souls are resonating," Byakuya said in a disbelieving voice, "and they are resonating at a very high level...which can only mean...Renji, you are this child's father!"

Renji opened his eyes and lowered his head, waiting for the world to come crashing down on him.

"Y-yeah," he admitted softly, "I am."


	9. Errant Petals

**Chapter 9: Errant Petals**

**(Thanks so much to Walkure (You aren't kidding! Bya will be all kinds of pissed!), PaulaGay (I think you'll enjoy this!), Alabirdie (*giggles* Go wrong? What could go wrong? Right?), Sscullys (Yes, RUN, RENJI!), Firebirdever (lol, you will enjoy this!), Roisin Ichimaru (No waiting any longer!), Kakashii'sWifey (Yes, in more ways than one!), Autheane (Yeah...that and some extreme chaos...), Spider Shadowheart (Aww, Spunky loves you! Just likes to build excitement!), Bre 42 (More is here!), and DragonPrincess01 (You can be sure that there will be fireworks...like NOW!) Enjoy the chpater!)**

"I am _pregnant_," Byakuya said in a chillingly calm voice, "and _you_ are the child's father."

The words fell softly from his pristine lips, but carried an edge of warning that tensed Renji's legs beneath him.

"Captain..."

"And..." Byakuya went on, as though not having heard him, "In addition to having impregnated me, you know a clan secret that no one is supposed to know."

"Y-yeah, well, I can explain that."

"Can you?" Byakuya said darkly, his reiatsu swelling ominously and his eyes smoldering with the beginnings of a deadly rage, "Then, I will give you a moment to speak. But speak quickly because if you don't, you may die too swiftly to explain!"

"O...okay!" Renji said, coming to his feet and backing away as Byakuya rose and advanced on him in slow, measured steps, "Look...I admit that Rukia told me about what happened with that ancestor of yours."

The redhead froze, his hands coming up to clench the noble's as Byakuya cornered him against a tent support and curled a slender hand around his throat, then slowly tightened it.

"I _swear_, Captain...I never told _anyone_! And I even forgot I knew about it! Believe me, if I'd remembered that on that night...nothing would have happened...urk!"

"_What...night_?" Byakuya hissed, his eyes flaring with hot, white light and flashes of pink rising around him.

"Rr-r..." Renji gurgled, struggling.

Byakuya loosened his hand slightly, and Renji took a ragged breath.

"The...the night you were...attacked by the...hollow vamp!" Renji panted, "R-remember? I took care of you!"

"Yes," the noble answered in a low, sarcastic tone, "So you did."

"C-captain, you were really out of it...not m-making sense! Y-you cornered me...kinda like this...erm, but without the intent to _kill_!"

"And let me see if I understand you correctly," Byakuya went on, raising his reiatsu so that the redhead could barely draw a breath, "_Your response_ to encountering me...senseless, out of control and not lethal...was to _have sex with me_? Are you _insane_, Abarai?"

"But you...you...told me that it was...what you really wanted! What you wanted, but couldn't say before. You said...about the soup I made. You loved the soup. And you missed me, and..."

"Abarai," Byakuya snarled, his lips curling with fury and his dark eyes glinting, "You had better cease your ridiculous, senseless chatter and _tell_ me why you did this..._here...in enemy territory...and without my consent_!"

"But, it wasn't without your consent...really, Captain!" cried the redhead, pulling free and backing towards the tent opening as Byakuya followed.

"I was out of my mind!" yelled the noble, "I didn't know what I was saying and I wager you _knew_ that! And you _knew_ I could get pregnant! What the HELL were you thinking, Abarai! Oh, let me guess...you weren't doing the thinking, ne? It was _that part of you_ taking over, wasn't it? Well, let me assure you, I will relieve you of the _offending appendage_, and make sure you are NEVER tempted to touch me EVER AGAIN!"

"Captain, WAIT!" Renji cried, flash stepping madly as kido blasts disguised to look like ceros flashed all around him, "Captain...we are...!"

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?" the noble raged, "I AM THE LEADER OF THE GREATEST OF THE NOBLE CLANS AND YOU HAVE IMPREGNATED ME!"

"Shit!" gasped Renji, blocking madly as volley after blazing volley of kido blasts crashed down on the sand all around him.

He heard a wickedly fast flash step and barely had time to brace himself as Byakuya's body struck his, throwing the two well clear of the encampment and out into open desert. The redhead broke free of Byakuya and rolled clear, coming to his feet, only to be tackled again and brought to the ground. He was inwardly grateful that Byakuya had been so attentive to his training since Aizen's betrayal, as the noble's careful instruction in hand to hand, weaponless combat became lifesaving. Byakuya's hands and feet struck too quickly to be seen, so Renji blocked on instinct, using senses honed in their constant sparring sessions. He sensed the returning swell of the noble's power and block the incoming hail of kido balls, his ears burning hotly at the scathing words that went along with the withering attacks.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE, YOU IMBECILE! I WILL BE THE LAUGHINGSTOCK OF THE NOBLE FAMILIES!"

"I'm..." Renji managed, grunting with effort as more kido blasts and physical blows rained down on him, "I'm sorry, Captain!"

"You are _sorry_?" Byakuya snapped, mockingly, "_SORRY?_ Well, _sorry_ is not enough! Dead, Abarai! That is what you are! I am going to _kill _you for this!"

"I...I said I'm sorry!" Renji panted, blocking another stinging wave of attacks, "I just...it...when you said that...you said that you wanted me...and that you couldn't tell me before..."

"And I _never _meant for you to know because what I feel doesn't matter! The only thing that does is keeping my word to honor the rules and laws of the clan!" Byakuya cried, "And you made a mockery of that!"

"Wh-WHOA!" Renji expelled, reaching out and grabbing the noble's upper arms, freezing him in place and staring into the dark, maddened eyes, "Wait a sec. Captain."

Byakuya glared at him, but remained still.

"Captain...did you just tell me...that you have feelings for me?"

Renji caught his breath at the flash of uncertainty that appeared on the noble's face, then disappeared just as swiftly.

"I _said_ that it doesn't matter what I feel. It is not permitted, so I won't entertain the thought," Byakuya said, sounding slightly breathless as he said the words.

"But you _did say_ that you have feelings for me?" Renji asked again, "Really?"

"You are a competent fighter," Byakuya said, backpedaling quickly, "I admire your courage and your determination in pursuing me."

A sudden blush flashed over his pale face and throat, and he corrected himself.

"...in _attempting to surpass me_."

Renji released one arm and very slowly and carefully cupped on flushed cheek, moving in closer and smiling helplessly as Byakuya stared up into his happy, red-brown eyes and swallowed hard.

"C'mon Captain," he said, more softly, "Let's cut through the crap. You have feelings for me..."

"Renji..."

"And I have feelings for you too."

"Renji, we...I cannot..." the noble stammered.

"Shh..." Renji said, leaning forward and bringing his hot red lips crashing into Byakuya's frowning ones.

Byakuya's eyes rounded and his body stiffened. Instinctively, his hands pressed against the redhead's chest, and his breath caught at the contact between his opened hands and the warm, tanned and tattooed flesh that peeked through the opening in his yukata. But his mouth rebelled, accepting Renji's lips on his, meeting them hungrily, and parting instantly as the redhead's questing tongue touched them. Renji's seething tongue dipped deeply into his mouth, stealing around his and coaxing it into a sweet, succulent rebellion. Byakuya felt a hard shiver pass through him as the redhead's warm body pressed up against his, and the heat and hardness of the other man's erection touching him through their clothes brought him suddenly back to his senses.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?" he yelled, inhaling in surprise as a sea of pink petals erupted from out of his reeling form and combined with his burgeoning reiatsu to throw the redhead back.

Renji gave a surprised yelp and tumbled backwards, rolling over a small dune and disappearing from sight...something that Byakuya was deeply glad for as a terrifyingly calm, male voice sounded dangerously close to him.

"Byakuya Kuchiki?" said Sousuke Aizen, appearing next to him.

More petals exploded from the noble, who stared as Aizen smiled at him through the pink conflagration and captured several in one bare hand.

"Unbladed petals..." the leader of the hollows mused, "Soft...not dangerous at all. Why...Byakuya, are you flirting with me? How delightfully naughty of you."

_Please, Renji, do not move..._

"But why are you here? A spy for the captain commander? But I would think he would depend on the second division for that. Or was he thinking to avoid such an obvious thing?"

Byakuya's lips tightened, but he remained silent. He flinched, but stood still as Aizen slipped a small metal band around his wrist. Almost instantly, the retreat of his reiatsu, brought on dizziness that made him collapse onto his knees and grab his midsection. Aizen gazed down at him in surprise.

"What is wrong with you? Are you unwell?" he asked calmly.

Byakuya made a sound of intense discomfort, reeling as spots danced before his eyes and his body heaved reflexively. He loosed the small amount of tea he had managed to swallow, then slid to the ground, blackness closing in around him.

"The seal...it is..." he began, then stopped again as he was overcome and sank into unconsciousness.

Aizen smiled down at him sympathetically.

"Well, it seems you are ill," he concluded, bending to loosen the seal on his powers just enough so that the noble's pained expression eased, "I suppose we won't learn why you were here until we take care of that. Do not worry. I have a very competent healer."

He glanced at Gin and nodded.

"Bring him."

His head turned and he regarded Tousen quietly.

"And have the camp searched thoroughly. I doubt very much that the captain commander would have sent him alone. Where Byakuya is, his vice captain is usually nearby."

Gin lifted the unconscious noble into his arms and followed as Aizen led the way, past where Ryota stood, watching from within a group of curious hollows, who had gathered to see what the disturbance was.

"What a curiosity this is," mused Gin, "Byakuya Kuchiki...in hiding in our supposedly secret caravan. What should we do now? If the Gotei 13 knows we are here, then making the crossing into the Seireitei near the dimension wall is likely to be a problem."

"I agree, although I suppose that if they did place themselves on the way, we would have no problem crushing them and simply walking over them."

"Ooh, feeling reckless today," laughed the silver-haired shinigami, "Just don't go too overboard. Remember that if we are drawn into a prolonged battle, they could destroy enough of our sacrifices that we could not break through. What then?"

"Those sacrifices will not have to engage the enemy at all," said Aizen, shaking his head," The three of us could overcome them without a doubt. But I do not wish to go to the effort if it is not necessary."

"So what are you thinking?" Gin asked, his smile widening.

"I wish to know what Byakuya is doing here."

"And you think he is just going to tell you for the asking? I think you underestimate him."

"Hmmm," said Aizen, thoughtfully, "Are you suggesting some form of persuasion?"

"That could be fun," affirmed Gin, his smile widening.

"Oh, but poor Captain Kuchiki already seems to be afflicted by _something_. It would be too cruel to add pain to his list of troubles, ne? We should, at very least, make him comfortable and heal him, try to reason with him before we resort to torments to force him."

"I should have known that you were only teasing me," sighed the silver-haired man, "No fun at all...downright boring."

"Go and make him comfortable, Gin."

"In the prison tent?"

"In mine. And have my healer attend to him personally. I want to give Captain Kuchiki every chance to be cooperative."

"That's very generous of you. I hope he appreciates it," Gin purred, "If he doesn't, I will certainly not hesitate to offer my services."

"I don't think that will be necessary," Aizen said, smiling down at Byakuya's oddly tranquil face, "If reason will not convince him, then I am sure that proper manipulation and deception will work much better than violence..."

"What are you planning?" asked Gin, "Will I be included or should I be jealous?"

"Oh, there's no need for jealousy. My interest in him is purely for the information I am seeking. Go on now. Get him settled in and examined to see what ails him. I will be along shortly. I want to check in with our spies in the Seireitei."

Gin let out an annoyed breath as Aizen turned away, then gave Byakuya a frown and carried him into Aizen's tent. He deposited the still unconscious captain on the bed and employed a kido field to prevent him from moving if he did wake. Then, he left the tent and found the healer treating a group of sick hollows.

"What is going on here?" Gin asked "What is wrong with them? I do hope it is nothing contagious. We brought along plenty of extras, figuring that the hollow vamps and spirit wolves would have a go at them, and we would still have plenty to use for the making of the Hollow King's Key. But we didn't account for a widespread outbreak of illness."

"I am not sure yet," said the healer, "but it looks to be minor. Did you need something?"

"Yes," said Gin, "Lord Aizen has captured a Gotei 13 captain, but he seems to be suffering from some illness that is interfering with his powers."

"Oh? How so?"

"Well, although we sensed him, his reiatsu was abysmally low. And he is one who usually has no problem concealing his reiatsu in the first place. Finally, he released his zanpakutou power, but his sword was not in his hand...and instead of emitting bladed petals, he tossed real, harmless flower petals at us."

"Hmmm, that is odd," said the healer, "You say this is a male shinigami?"

"Yes," confirmed Gin, "Male and noble class. He is usually both healthy and respectably strong."

"Very well, I will have a look."

He followed Gin to Aizen's tent and the two found Byakuya, awake, but trapped in the kido field. The healer sat down next to the bed and released the kido field, then laid his hands on the noble's chest and abdomen, sending his reiatsu into the area. He looked into Byakuya's angry eyes and tested his reiatsu level several times.

"Are you in any pain?" he asked quietly.

"No," the noble answered.

"Do you have any kind of discomfort?"

"I have had flu-like symptoms for the past several days...nausea, vomiting, chills and reiatsu flares and drop offs."

"And Gin informs me that your zanpakutou was acting oddly?"

"Yes," admitted Byakuya, "but that hadn't happened until just now. My shikai activated from my hands without me bearing my sword, and the petals were..."

"...harmless, not bladed, ne?" finished the healer.

"Yes."

"Is your stomach upset now?"

"Yes, though it seems that it has improved since the seal on my powers was loosened somewhat."

Very well," he said, slipping a second band onto the noble's wrist, "This charm will allow you to go outside within a small perimeter of the tent to allow you to...see to your illness, but if you try to escape, it will return you to Lord Aizen's side. I am going to monitor your condition and run a few tests. I want you to eat the soup and drink the medicinal tea that Lord Aizen's attendant brings for you, and I want you to rest. We'll see soon enough what is wrong with you. Not to worry, Captain."

Byakuya gave him a dark look, but said nothing.

"You are fortunate," the healer went on, eyeing him for a moment, "Lord Aizen is not usually so accommodating to his prisoners. He..."

He paused for a moment as a soft glow rose around Byakuya, illuminating his flesh from within, ruffling and lighting the ends of his hair and making his eyes widen sweetly.

"I..." said the healer, blinking and staring, "Well, that is..."

"Is something wrong?" asked the noble.

"Ah...no, Captain," said the healer, feeling a sad twinge inside at the sight of the stunningly lovely and oddly vulnerable man, "But...is there...is there anything you need?"

"What?" asked Byakuya, looking confused.

Another heady twinge passed through the healer, and he cleared his throat softly.

"Do you need anything?" he asked again.

_What is wrong with this man?_

_Why is he looking at me so oddly?_

"I want to go home," he muttered, "but I don't imagine that..."

He blinked again as the healer put a finger to his lips and touched the band that he had put on the noble's wrist. The healer looked into Byakuya's eyes again and nodded barely perceptibly.

_What happened? _

_Why is he acting that way, all of a sudden?_

_Did he just set the bonds so that I could escape?_

_Why?_

The healer's hand touched his face and the old man smiled.

"There you go. I will be back to check on you later."

He exited the tent before Byakuya could answer.

Byakuya climbed to his feet and walked to the tent entrance, where he looked out, then slipped outside, looking as though he needed to vomit. He slipped around the side of the tent and was looking for an opening to run, when he felt Aizen and Gin's reiatsu closing in.

"Kami..." he whispered, dropping onto his knees and leaning forward on his hands.

"What are _you _doing out here?" asked Gin.

"I think it's obvious that the poor thing is sick as a dog," said Aizen, sympathetically, "Help him back inside, Gin."

Byakuya closed his eyes, heaving again and clawing at the ground uncomfortably.

"Hmmm, are you sure he's done, Sousuke? He still looks rather ill."

"Go and make him some ginger tea," suggested Aizen, "That should be soothing."

"Arigatou," Byakuya panted, not looking up.

"Gratitude?" queried the leader of the hollows, "from Byakuya Kuchiki? Oh, you must be _terribly _ill then."

Byakuya sensed the glow that had been around him earlier returning and lifted his eyes to meet Aizen's. The other man's head tilted as he noticed the noble's lovely wide eyes, glowing skin and his strangely vulnerable expression. His smile widened in a way that sent a hard chill through the noble.

_That did not work quite as well as it did with the healer..._

_Aizen doesn't look distracted._

_He looks..._

_Oh no...he looks...aroused?_

"Come along, Captain," Aizen said, smirking and slipping an arm around the noble, "Come back into my tent so that we can...talk."

_Oh...not good._

_Renji, I hope they do not find you._

**(A/N**Just to remind you, this is a humorous story, so Aizen and Gin won't be too scary. And Bya will not spend long in their possession! But how it plays out? Funny...I have to go and work on that now! You think Bya was pissed before...yeah, well...heheh, just wait!)**


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